BioEconomy – Promise and Perils of Synthetic Biology

Dr. Nathan Hillson, Director of Synthetic Biology Informatics at Joint BioEnergy Institute based in the USA participates in Risk Roundup to discuss BioEconomy – Promise and Perils of Synthetic Biology. BioEconomy – Promise and Perils of Synthetic Biology Today, we humans are no longer confined to what nature must offer.  The advances in science and technology have given us the capability to create “living things”. While what nature has given is still the foundation to our natural biological ecosystem, we, the humans are now capable to build on this foundation and create a man-made, synthetic bio-ecosystem of our desire and definition. We have reached a point where tools and technology to define and design entire human and non-human genomes have caught up to our ability to construct them. As a result, in the coming years, we will be able to define, design, and construct any cell, organism, or any biological species we want—with a growing selection of genome from human, non-human, and or any other living species. The time is almost here, where the ability to create or manipulate “life” seems restricted only by our imagination as, we will now be able to build any cell, organism, or biological species up from scratch. As a result, the “industrial age” is slowly but steadily drawing to a close to being gradually replaced by an era of biological engineering–and bio-economy. As we transition from an economy that relied on “machines” to the one that relies on biology,  for a biological future that can be engineered the way we want, it is important to understand and evaluate whether we have enough knowledge to prevent the security risks that come with the advances in Synthetic Biology, on which the BioEconomy is being built. Time is now to talk about BioEconomy – Promise and Perils of Synthetic Biology! For more please watch the Risk Roundup Webcast or hear the Risk Roundup Podcast About the Guest Dr. Nathan Hillson is the Director of Synthetic Biology Informatics at Joint BioEnergy Institute based in California, USA. He is also the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of TeselaGen Biotechnology. He leads the Synthetic Biology Informatics initiative of the Joint Genomic Institute and is the Principal Investigator at Agile BioFoundry. He is the Department Head of Biodesign at Berkley Lab and has authored many publications. About Risk Group Risk Group is a leading strategic security risk research and reporting organization. Copyright Risk Group LLC. All Rights Reserved Reference Episodes Future of Work – Battle between Human Work Force and Machine Work ForceTechnology Trends and Future of HumanityTechnology Trends and HumanificationDual Use Technology Dilemma and National Security RisksElectronic Warfare PreparednessFuture of TechnologyDigital Future – Complex Challenges of ChangeElectronic Warfare-An Existential RiskElectromagnetic WarfareWhat Role Gene Environment Plays In Gene Expression And Human Health SecurityFourth Industrial Revolution and SecurityMachine Learning Bias – An Existential RiskRisks and Rewards of Genomic MedicineCompetitive Intelligence and Risk ManagementStrategic IntelligenceDisruptive Innovation and Security  RisksDiagnostic Genomics and Security RisksNanoSatellites & Democratization of SpaceHealthcare in TurmoilSpace MiningSpace SecurityImpact InvestingSocietal Impact of RoboticsComplex Security Risks of Mediterranean RegionAre Education Institutions Prepared for Digital DisruptionDigital Disruption in MarketingThe Middle East Geopolitical Puzzle and Risks to Global SecurityImpact of Cyber-Security Risks Global BusinessThe Digital Global Age – Contested CommonsStrategizing Digital TransformationStrategizing Cyber-SecurityEnergy Warfare The post BioEconomy – Promise and Perils of Synthetic Biology appeared first on Risk Group.