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DARPA'S BIODESIGN PROJECT. " ""Darpa is looking to re-write the laws of evolution to the military’s advantage, creating “synthetic organisms” that can live forever — or can be killed with the flick of a molecular switch ... Darpa also plans to throw $20 million into a new synthetic biology program, and $7.5 million into “increasing by several decades the speed with which we sequence, analyze and functionally edit cellular genomes.”" " http://lnkd.in/ddnPGcY View in LinkedIn

MILITARY EYES OPEN SOURCE AND BIOHACKING. "The (retired) eighth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff described a potential future of the military that’s founded not only in open source thinking, but in next-generation user interfaces and biohacking straight out of science fiction ... dramatic evolutionary changes could cascade down the entire supply chain of one of the world’s biggest organizations."" " http://lnkd.in/dMjBeYK View in LinkedIn

“MAYBE BATHTUB BIOTECH will be the next to capture the mindshare of the techie tinkerers. Certainly the technologies are there for those inclinded to genetically edit their plants or pets. Maybe a mouse or E. coli genome becomes the next operating system for hobbyists to profitably twiddle. Perhaps this decade will bring a Linus Torvalds or Bill Gates of bio-hackerdom — a hobbyist-turned-entrepreneur who can simultaneously innovate and market his or her DNA-driven ideas.” http://lnkd.in/dNS2_iP View in LinkedIn

CITIZEN SCIENCE BECOMES WIDESPREAD. "From astronomy to zoology, and certainly in environmental monitoring. But really that’s just one style of citizen science and it has morphed into so many different things, like the do-it-yourself citizen science, particularly for environmental monitoring and mapping."" " http://lnkd.in/dpuYh2T View in LinkedIn

GATES WISTFUL ABOUT BIOHACKING. "Bill Gates recently told Wired that if he were a teenager today, he would be hacking biology. "If you want to change the world in some big way," he says, "that's where you should start-biological molecules." " " http://lnkd.in/ddWxbRX View in LinkedIn

40 WORLDWIDE BIOHACKER GROUPS SEEK LEGITIMACY. "The kick-off meeting for DIY Bio Europe paves the way for amateur biologists to begin international-scale projects, gain greater credibility, and make biology accessible to all. But biohackers have a huge task on their hands. While there are more than forty groups worldwide, many suffer from serious financial restraints and tough legislation restricting their activities."" " http://lnkd.in/dv4HJ8r View in LinkedIn

EXPANDING THE TREE OF LIFE. "Andrew Hessel, a Distinguished Researcher with San Francisco based company Autodesk Inc ... presented a slideshow of the cutting edge experiments in synthetic biology. Computer coders and biological engineers are collaborating on some of the most innovative experiments in enzyme, DNA, and chemical construction. And these collaborations are happening in garages, art studios, and high-tech facilities. “We’re expanding the tree of life into synthetic organisms,”" " http://biohackersnyc.com/home/2014/1/27/survive-better-biohacking-the-future-of-enhancement.html View in LinkedIn

BIOPUNK CRITIC "Pat Mooney, executive director of ETC Group, is a critic of biohacking who argues that—using a laptop computer, published gene sequence information, and mail-order synthetic DNA—just about anyone has the potential to construct genes or entire genomes from scratch (including those of the lethal pathogens) in the near-future. He warns that the danger of this development is not just bio-terror, but "bio-error"." " http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biopunk View in LinkedIn

THE FRINGE OR CUTTING EDGE? "Programmable memories, fatherless reproduction, nano-tech implants, amphibian-powered scar treatment, brain-scanning lie-detectors, inter-species reproduction, self-determining synthetic ‘green goo’… Which of these would you wager is pure science fiction, and which currently being developed in the lab?"" " http://lnkd.in/d4c4AZZ View in LinkedIn

DIY BIOLOGY. Amateurs working on scientific projects has a long tradition in natural history and astronomy; more recently, AIDS treatment activists and family disease associations (particularly the muscular dystrophy associations) have taken on the role of evaluating scientific data, with and without scientists, and driving the search for new treatments (Lorenzo's Oil). This has been driven by frustration at institutional efforts. Biohacking by amateurs fits within the outer boundary of these societal trends. " " http://lnkd.in/dC6T6wU View in LinkedIn