Homebrewed Biotechnology

Jesse Walker | June 22, 2009

h+ interviews Meredith Patterson, co-founder of DIYbio, about the boom in do-it-yourself biology research. From the intro:

The [explanation for the subculture's growth] goes far beyond falling costs and the rise of the garage tinkerer, although these are factors. One big factor seems to be a desire to solve some of today's major problems. Discussions seem to frequently drift towards two particular topics: creating fuel-generating microbes and finding remedies for disease. Indeed, the DIYbio community owes much of its increase in size to do-gooders, concerned citizens who see DIYbio as a method of confronting problems in a novel way. And while this is heartening, many members simply want to pursue science for the love of it. They're DIY simply because they wish to conduct research into relatively unprofitable fields.

In much the same way that homebrew computer science built the world we live in today, garage biology can affect the future we make for ourselves. For example, the bioweather map could greatly augment the way we understand epidemiology and the environment on a micro scale. When we open science up to the public, we pretty much always get useful results.

Read the whole thing here.

Comments

Mike|6.22.09 @ 2:05PM|#

Someday, I hope someone invents bacteria that will turn my garbage into cotton candy.

|6.22.09 @ 2:15PM|#

"Homebrewed" in the title but nothing about homebrewing or beer. What a tease...

|6.22.09 @ 2:33PM|#

Remind me to never go to Mike's house.

|6.22.09 @ 2:33PM|#

Thought the same thing, ClubMedSux...

Kevin|6.22.09 @ 2:40PM|#

Keep this kind of thing quiet. This is technically "unregulated," meaning that if a politician gets wind of people doing this stuff, it will soon be under the control of a "czar" or banned altogether. You know, to preserve biotech's profits public safety.

I do make my own homebrew, so from the headline I thought someone came up with a super yeast that produces higher alcohol content. Sigh.

ChrisO|6.22.09 @ 2:46PM|#

"Homebrewed" in the title but nothing about homebrewing or beer. What a tease...

Yup. I was getting all interested in this from the thread title, until I actually read it. Is it Friday yet?

Invisible Finger|6.22.09 @ 2:48PM|#

Waiting for the government crackdown in a couple years.

Kyle Jordan|6.22.09 @ 2:53PM|#

"Waiting for the government crackdown in a couple years."

Yep. Oh well, maybe we'll get lucky and one of the homebrewers will concoct a virus that targets politicians and those who share the tendencies of politicians. Something that make all the pain receptors of their bodies fire all at once continuously until they stop being stupid. Or die.

Kyle Jordan|6.22.09 @ 2:53PM|#

Kind of like Darkseid's Agony Matrix.

|6.22.09 @ 3:49PM|#

If you guys are looking for a beer fix, check out Lew Bryson's blog. I don't know if he would self-identify as a libertarian but he's been on a roll lately, taking on the unions for going after Yuengling, the New Zealand government for exaggerating the harms of alcohol consumption and our own government for looking to raise taxes on booze when they should be legalizing drugs. I always liked Lew's blog for its coverage of the brewing industry but he deserves extra props for some pro-liberty posts recently.

|6.22.09 @ 4:18PM|#

DIY Biological Weapons? Protected by the 2nd Amendment or not? Discuss.

|6.22.09 @ 5:14PM|#

ThreadJack:

What system do you guys use for lagering? I have found the basement method to be inconsistent at best.

|6.22.09 @ 5:21PM|#

Domo-

I bought a chest freezer on clearance at Home Depot that fits one 6.5 gallon carboy and two 3-gallon carboys and a $75 external thermostat (the kind where you just plug the freezer into the thermostat which then plugs into the wall). I generally ferment both my lagers and ales in the chest freezer (even with ales, maintaining a constant temperature gives you more consistent results). I also scored a fridge off of Craig's List for $50 that I keep in the garage. When it's time to lager, I rack to the keg and leave it in the garage fridge to condition. It's a bit of an investment (I guess it ended up being ~$150 for the chest freezer, plus the $125 total for the fridge and thermostat) but the upshot is I can pretty much brew any style any time.

jtuf|6.22.09 @ 11:35PM|#

Awesome.