Biotechnology
“What if a technology's safeguards could directly enhance its capabilities to address our global problems? Ironically, this may be the case for one of the most feared and misunderstood advancements in recent years: biotechnology.” — George Church
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The Stunning Diversity of Plants
February 22, 2010
Kirsten Bomblies, MacArthur genius and Harvard biology professor, answers our 10 questions, discussing the immune system of plants and how young scientists can keep inspiration alive.
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Life Imitating Life
January 28, 2010
Life, as the expression goes, isn’t always pretty. But with a few tricks of the lab, life in its simplest, single-celled forms can be manipulated into a thing of preternatural beauty.
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Everything Is Illuminated
December 03, 2009
Martin Chalfie, the Nobelist who helped transform biology with a glowing protein, talks with us about his lab and his favorite animal—the roundworm.
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Benign by Design
November 24, 2009
With toxic compounds turning up in animals, food, and people all over the world, scientists are calling for green chemistry: a sustainable ethos of product design.
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Hair Raiser
November 20, 2009
Malcolm Gladwell and Steven Pinker duel over balancing scientific rigor with relatable narrative, while the future of personal genomics goes under the microscope.
biotechnology, communication, social science, week in review
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A Natural Obsession
October 26, 2009
Organic foods are exploding in popularity. But fears of biotechnology—and a widespread mistrust of science—won’t help efforts to create a truly sustainable agriculture.
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Folding Our Way to a Revolution
October 12, 2009
With a few strands of nucleic acids and some ingenious programming, DNA origami is remaking nanotechnology, from drug delivery to chip design.
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Blueprinting Biology
September 28, 2009
Scientists develop a visual language for mapping biological systems that they hope will become “the circuit diagrams of biology.”
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Monkey See, Monkey Juice
September 18, 2009
An elegant gene therapy trial “cures” colorblindness in monkeys and new film about Darwin attempts to drum up some controversy.
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The Rorschach Paintings
August 18, 2009
In creating her new series, Pareidolia, artist and chemist Vesna Jovanovic detected biomorphic and medical forms in blots of ink.
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Cash for Eggs
July 22, 2009
There should be no question about researchers paying for egg donations.
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New York’s Stem Cell Coup
July 22, 2009
Now that new national stem cell guidelines are in place, New York’s recent policy shift could make it the stem cell capital of the country.
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Scientific Flip-Flop
June 18, 2009
Five experts debate the roots of GM opposition, the role of big agribusiness, and whether we’ve achieved real scientific consensus.
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What the Cow Genome Tells Us
June 08, 2009
The recent sequencing of the bovine genome will dramatically transform more than just the cattle industry.
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Light Mind Control
May 18, 2009
Light-sensitive proteins from algae illuminate the brain, providing a more sophisticated view of neural circuitry.
biotechnology, cognition, neuroscience, research, synthetic biology
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After the Fall
April 02, 2009
Alexis Rockman’s latest exhibit portrays a psychedelic, posthuman natural world where our failings horrify but ultimately inspire us.
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Design and Being Just
March 23, 2009
At some point during the show, VL started growing too fast. It was time to stop it. But did that mean killing it?
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Scientific Integrity and Stem Cells
March 12, 2009
President Obama signs two key documents to help ensure America's continued global leadership in scientific discoveries.
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Getting Our Nitrogen Fix
March 04, 2009
Our ability to pull nitrogen from the air fed a growing human population. Can 21st century biotechnology refine the process while reducing environmental impact?
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Safeguarding Biology
February 02, 2009
Can biotechnology safely reverse the course of our deteriorating biosphere?
biotechnology, cooperation, decision making, disease, research
Now on SEEDMAGAZINE.COM
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World
Press Gang
With New York City about to let bloggers qualify for press passes, a look at what breaking down the walls between old and new media means for science reporting.
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Culture
The Ancient, Distant, and Dead
Inspired by scientific research, Katie Paterson creates art based on data from faraway melting glaciers, long-dead stars, and the initial moments of the universe.
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Ideas
A Sober Assessment
Alcohol is an important part of life in many cultures throughout the world, but there are many misperceptions about this common social lubricant.
