Community Labs Practice Do-It-Yourself Biology
22:34 minutes
Inspired by hackerspaces and hobbyist groups like the Homebrew Computer Club, intrepid citizen scientists are taking the tools of synthetic biology into their own hands. At community labs like Brooklyn’s Genspace, the Bay Area’s BioCurious, and Baltimore’s BUGSS, members play around with PCR machines and bioprinters, extract their own DNA, and make bacteria glow in the dark. We’ll hear about some of their biology hacks and ask what’s safe in a DIY lab.
Segment Guests
Patrik D'haeseleer
Patrik D’haeseleer is a computational scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; leader in the Bioprinter Project at BioCurious; and co-founder of Counter Culture Labs, based in Oakland, California.
Todd Kuiken
Todd Kuiken is senior program associate of the Science and Technology Innovation Program at the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington, D.C.
Related Links
Meet the Producer
About Annie Minoff
@annieminoffAnnie Minoff is a producer for The Journal from Gimlet Media and the Wall Street Journal, and a former co-host and producer of Undiscovered. She also plays the banjo.