Synthetics Genomics: Creating Synthetic Life

Genomics is the science of study of the genetic structure of organisms, DNA coding and its manipulation. Synthetic genomics is a new branch of genomics which involves the synthetic creation of genetic matter. DNA holds the genetic information of the cell and Synthetic genomics aims at creating artificial DNA and hence create artificial life. DNA is chemically synthesised and computational and bioinformatics techniques are used to code and design the favourable genetic structure. Until the development of Synthetic genomics, the ways by which genetic structure changed was through evolution and artificially through induced mutation. But, the result of induced mutation will not be specific. With Synthetic genomics, the whole genetic hardware of the cell could be changed and the cell as a whole will work according to the newly synthesized genome.

This has paved way for a new era in genetic biology. Scientists can now create organisms with unique and useful genetic material that was marked as impossible to obtain. With Synthetic genomics, small chromosome segments, genes, gene processing or even an entirely new genome could be produced to make the organism give the desired result. This has given scientists to foresee newer advancements like production of biofuels and specific vaccines against diseases.

De Novo synthesis of gene segments has been used since 35 years, but creating a whole genome from this would take years. This has become easier now with Synthetic genomics where DNA synthesizers are used to create genetic material using reagents quicker than the earlier methods. Har Gobind Khorana and his 17 co-workers first synthesised the gene in 1970s. Since then scientists have been working on creating synthetic genes by the basics of Synthetic genomics. Recombinant DNA techniques was largely followed till recent times as time consuming rDNA techniques have been replaced largely with Synthetic genomics.

The first artificial life was created through Synthetic genomics in May 2010, when Craig Venter and his team created an entirely new bacterial genome. It has been called rightly as designer organism as the scientist designs the genome of the cell from scratch. The bacterium thus produced was watermarked by the scientists so that at any level of its progeny, the scientist will be able to identify it as synthesized. Synthetic Genomics Inc. was found by Craig Venter and team now aims to produce biofuels from genetically synthesized microbes.

Synthetic Genomics Inc. aims to produce the highly demanded Ethanol from algae produced through synthetic genomics. The scientists aim to produce new algal cells that would release oils which can be later refined to produce biofuels. The project is funded at $600 million by ExxonMobil. There are other researches in Synthetic genomics like methods to increase the hydrocarbon recovery by using microbes and also advanced agricultural products from synthetic genomics. The proper assembly of the genome and its expression in the cell is the major challenge faced by scientists.

As with any other technological advancement, synthetic genomics has also several associated risks. The potential risks that Synthetic genomics might pose to the future include bioterrorism, health risks to scientists and laboratory workers and possible leak of synthetically structured organism’s intro the environment creating environmental imbalance. Considering the technology available today, constructing even a simple virus is very difficult but with technological advancements, this process might become easy. Synthetic genomics can be used to produce bacteria or virus which can be used in bio warfare or bioterrorism. Viruses which had posed severe threat though the disease they caused like the Variola virus of 1918 could be reproduced through Synthetic genomics. But, according to reports, even without these Synthetic genomics advancements, there are several other methods of bio-war and bio-terrorism and the risks with every technology remains, yet strict precautions are taken. 

What is Bioeconomics?

Bioeconomics is a new field of study that originated from the combination of biology and economics. The word bioeconomics was developed by Gary Becker in 1930 who was an American economist. What is Bioeconomics? In simple words, it is a new branch of economics where sociobiological activities are used to give a briefing about human behavior. The Socioeconomic system is observed and studied in accordance with the biological world and the relation between the components is also studied. This has helped to reduce the gap between experimental biology science and numerical economical science and the two different cultures have been brought together in this attempt like resource economics.

Bioeconomics is a branch of social science that has helped to explain economic events better based on biological theories and happenings. Different organisms survive in nature, cooperating and fighting to utilize the available resources and they go on based on the theory of survival of the fittest. Thus the basic ideas of biology have been used to better explain the economic system. The basic teleology of any individual according to this theory is based on the genetic fitness of the organism. What has happened with Bioeconomics is that the Neo-Darwinian theory of evolution has been applied to social and economic sciences. The natural economy is analyzed as every organism in nature competes for the limited resources to survive and propagate in this limited environment.

Bioeconomics implication simply means that every living organism has to make use of its resources and environment to live. When the resources are wasted, this directly means that the development of life forms is affected. Nature lays certain restrictions on extending and modifying human culture, and this can be studied only using Bioeconomics. The costs associated with this kind of overcoming nature’s constraints can be calculated using Bioeconomics and sociobiology studies.

The socioeconomic and biological systems interact in nature. The social and economic activities of living organisms bring about changes and impacts on the biological system. This gives rise to issues like global warming. These interactions are rather complex and have been found to cause serious after-effects affecting humans. Bioeconomics studies are based on the better frugal and efficient utilization of biological resources based on the socioeconomic environment. In these studies, humans have been taken as the dependent point and nature as the constant. This kind of evaluation will give a proper economy-nature equation.

Unlike other forms of sciences, bioeconomics deals with treating nature as a source of ideas rather than a simple source for human needs. Newer ideas are developed which has helped to come up with harmless innovations, benefitting both humans and the environment. The feeling of a cooperative bioeconomical individual has been developed out of bioeconomics.

In normal conditions, a whole lot of onion is wasted during harvest and dumped as low quality. With the advent of bioeconomics, this onion waste can be now converted into a high-quality product and thus economic loss has been prevented and even saves the environment. The low-grade onion is squeezed to produce its juice which is fermented to produce vinegar. The leftover onion mash is composted and used as fertilizer for onion cultivation. This has many positive effects on human economics and the environment, thus creating a balance in nature.

This kind of bioeconomics approach can help to reduce the use of harmful fertilizers which eventually prevent many health problems for humans. This can also give healthy bio-organic foods. On the economic side, using the waste material means saving money and promoting sustainable agriculture. There are several other types of research and developments made as a result of bioeconomics which aims to build a better nature, economic system, and life in the world. 

In -Vitro Meat: From the Lab to the Home

Imagine eating away tasty meat which is not produced from livestock, but in the lab.

This was a dream, long realized by Winston Churchill and now Scientist Mark Post is trying to make this vision a reality. From the stem cells of animal waste in slaughter houses, new whole meat can be produced. They grown in petri dishes to produce muscle like strips which are packed together along with a little of artificial fat to produce artificial meat.

The product has been tasted by a few people, but there are not much positive reviews regarding the taste. The scientists plans to add in a  few more better tasting artificial fat and little of lab prepared blood and also increase the nutritional value of in-vitro meat.
The product is expected to be a little overpriced when it reaches the market, yet will be healthy and the price might come down with further experiments to meet the demands. This can do great good to the environment and that's the main reason why PETA has offered $1 million to the person who first launches it successfully in the market. Let us wait till August or Sepetember to see how welcome is it in the markets. 

Biofouling

Biofouling is the undesirable accumualtion of microorganisms, plants, algae and animals on submerged structures, especially ships hulls. Biofouling is also found in membrane systems, such as membrane bioreactors and reverse osmosis spiral bound membranes. Biofouling is divided into Microfouling, a biofilm formation and bacterial adhesion and Macrofouling, an attachment of larger organisms, of which the main culprits are barnacles, mussels, polychaete worms, bryozoans and seaweed. marine biofouling is the undesirable growth of marine organisms on immersed artificial structures such as ship hulls, jetty pilings, navigational instruments, aquaculture net cages and seawater intake pipes.

How the herpes Simplex Virus Uses MicroRNA to Hide Out in Cells

Researchers at the University of Pennysylvanis School of Medicine have discovered part of the reason why cold sores, caused by a herpes virus, come back again and again. The study points to a small RNA molecule, called a microRNA (miRNA) as the culprit that keeps the virus-infected cell alive. These findings could one day lead to a new way to fight the virus and offers the first target for intervention in the latent infection.

It was found that the herpes simples virus 1 produces the miRNA molecule. This miRNA is encoded bythe Latency-Associated Transcript gene (LAT) in the viral genome and works through a process called RNA interference to prevent normal cell death or apoptosis.

New device to record fetal heart beat for high risk pregnancies

Being pregnant is a great feeling. The tension lies in the risk factors affecting pregnancies these days. Risky pregnancies are a lot prevalent today. Pregnancy specialists have put down a lot of hard work to create a baby and mother foetal monitor. This monitor records baby and mother heart beats as different signals. The device works at a strech for 24 hours. It is portable and is worn around the mother's stomach which has 5 electodes attached around the mother's stomach. The data is stored in an USB. The device is a mobile phone sized one.

Usually an ultrasound monitor is used to check baby foetal heart rate. But this not a very reliable one, especially for high risk pregnancies. The device does not monitor the uterus, baby position or movements. It keeps track of baby activities round the clock.

Dolly’s Creator Shuns the Technique Used to Create her

Ian Wilmut, the scientist who discovered the cloning technique has abandoned it. Therapeutic cloning was a major break through in the field of biotechnology.

He proclaimed to have abandoned the technique after a rival method was discovered in Japan. Prof Shinya Yamanka of Kyoto University suggested a new way to create human embryo cells from skin tissues. This process does not require human eggs. This will be socially accepted as it does not require creating and destroying cloned embryos.

Ian Wilmut has been inspired by this technique and has proclaimed that he wont pursue his license to clone human embryo cells. He says that the new technique has put forward a new future for stem cell research than his technique.

The reason for the fowl breath of dinosaurs

The mechanism by which Dinosaurs may have breathed have been found by the biologists and paleontologists at the University of Manchester.

It has been discovered that theropod dinosaurs like Velociraptor has respiratory systems as in present day diving birds. Dinosaurs had many similarities to birds and this similarity has been found to be present in the respiratory system as air sac respiratory system.

Studies were conducted on the fossil remains of Maniraptoran dinosaurs and Achaeopteryx. They were found to possess breathing structures called as uncinate processes as in birds. The dinosaurs which were examined were found to have long uncinate processes as in diving birds.

This also proves that dinosaurs were highly active animals.

Reduce sugar for a healthy sex life

The Child and Family Research Institute, West Canada has reported that too much of fructose and glucose suppresses the activity of the genes that control the release of sex steroids. The study was conducted in mice and human cell cultures.

This has spread advices to the public to consume complex carbohydrates and to reduce sugar consumption.

Glucose and fructose metabolism takes place in the liver and the excess sugar is converted to lipid. It has been discovered that excess lipid production shut down a gene called SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin). This gene plays a major role in controlling the release of testosterone and estrogen. Less of SHBG protein, consecutively the testosterone and estrogen release will also decrease. This leads to increased risk of acne, infertility, polycystic ovaries and uterine cancer.