Synthetic Biology:
As per study by USA, due to climate change one-third of all animal and plant species on the planet could face extinction by 2070.
- Environmentalists consider synthetic biology or ‘synbio’ as a potential tool to preserve biodiversity and restore the natural ecosystem.
- The term ‘synthetic biology’ was first used by Barbara Hobomin in 1980, to describe bacteria that had been genetically engineered using recombinant DNA technology.
- Synthetic biology refers to the science of using genetic sequencing, editing, and modification to create unnatural organisms or organic molecules that can function in living systems.
- Synthetic biology enables scientists to design and synthesise new sequences of DNA from scratch.
- The term was used to describe the synthesis of unnatural organic molecules that function in living systems.
- More broadly in this sense, the term has been used with reference to efforts to ‘redesign life’.
- This technology could be helpful in use for sustainable production of bioenergy, drugs, and food.
- Interesting application of synbio are its usage for the capture of carbon dioxide from industrial emissions.
- Further, the captured gas is then recycled to fuels using microorganisms. Potentially, such transformations comprise benefits ranging from protecting threatened species to providing synthetic alternatives to wildlife products.
- This technology would help us resolve some of society’s most imperative problems from infectious disease to drug development to sustainability.
- Its helping scientists find the right answers, faster and in a more efficient way and driving them towards the path of innovation.
