Today's Pick: DIYbio

Amateur biohackers?

First there were computer hackers. Then life hackers, Ikea hackers and iPhone hackers. Now biohackers are having a moment.

DIYbio is an organization encouraging citizen scientists to take biology out of the lab and into the garage. Although critics warn that such experimentation could yield evil plots to synthesize deadly pathogens, the group’s early projects are decidedly less sinister: Bioweathermap, for example, maps the bacteria on crosswalk buttons from Boston to San Francisco.

Watch DIYbio’s introductory video and track down amateur scientists in your neighborhood here.

The DIYbio Community – Presented at Ignite Boston 5 (2009) from mac cowell on Vimeo.

Related Blogs

 

The Giant Colon comes to MaRS
In 1995, Barry Stein was handed a death sentence. Diagnosed with colorectal cancer that had spread to his liver and lungs, he was not expected to survive the decade. However, after nine surgeries and

Today's Pick: Use biomimicry to make better products (and companies)
Want a round-up of the week in the innovation industry news? We highlight our favourite articles of the week from each industry category and serve ‘em up. Today’s Top Pick: “Use Bio

UofT researcher wins Bill and Melinda Gates foundation grant
Congratulations go out to University of Toronto Assistant Professor and computational biology researcher, Ryan Lilien, who was one of only 104 winners of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation Grand C

Innovation: Breaking it down
Joelle Abra walks us through the first month of her Biodesign fellowship at Stanford. This month, she gets acquainted with the industry, the process of innovation and team building. Follow along with

Needs finding: Exploring for business opportunities
“This design process is about learning how to decide where to use your time.” The first part of that decision comes in finding needs. Joelle Abra and a team of physicians and engineers a

When politics meets public health
veryone loves an underdog. And in science, when your theories start out being dismissed by one’s esteemed colleagues, it must be particularly sweet to prove the mainstream wrong with a Nobel Pr

Tags: biology, DIY