Podcast Summary
Exploring the Future of Synthetic Biology: Synthetic biology combines biology, engineering, and computer science to design and construct new biological systems, allowing for more efficient production of material goods and the potential to grow material goods instead of manufacturing them.
Synthetic biology is a revolutionary technology that combines biology, engineering, and computer science to design and construct new biological systems. It allows us to manipulate and reprogram the DNA of living organisms to create new functions or traits, effectively rewriting DNA like computer code. With its limitless potential, synthetic biology can manufacture biological components using biology, making the production of material goods more efficient and resource-intensive. It also has the potential to grow material goods instead of manufacturing them, blurring the line between human-produced and nature-grown materials. The future of synthetic biology could mean growing entire cities and their contents, although challenges remain. Meet Drew Endy, the father of modern synthetic biology, who will expand on this concept and discuss the emergence of wetware and the read and write functions for DNA. John Cumbers, founder and CEO of SynBio Beta, will delve into the technical details of how this all works, starting with fermentation and the efficiency of nature. Lastly, Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, will discuss her company's efforts in synthetic biology, which converts carbon emissions into simple chemical building blocks for various products.
Synthetic biology: Building blocks for engineering living systems: Synthetic biology is revolutionizing engineering of living systems by focusing on lower levels of composition, leading to various applications and a solid foundation for future innovations.
Synthetic biology, which involves putting together living systems, has been a foundational area of research for the past 20 years. Its goal is to make it easier to engineer biology by focusing on the lower levels of composition. This field has been gaining momentum and is now leading to the development of various applications, much like the building blocks that assemble themselves. Initially, synthetic biology was seen as a last resort for solving complex problems, such as incurable diseases, but its importance lies in creating a solid foundation for working with living systems. As Drew Endy, the father of modern synthetic biology, explained, synthetic biology is about synthesis, or putting things together, and it's changing the way we approach engineering living systems. This shift in perspective is leading to a multitude of applications, making it an essential area to watch in the world of technology and innovation.
Exploring the Frontier of Synthetic Biology: Synthetic biology is a rapidly advancing field that uses technology to create living systems at a molecular level, with vast potential for innovation and new discoveries, but we face challenges due to incomplete understanding of cellular components.
Synthetic biology is using modern technology to create the building blocks of living systems at a molecular level, but we're still in the early stages and face significant ambiguity due to our incomplete understanding of cellular components. This field, which is unlocking biology as a general-purpose technology, is compared to a cell as a computer or motherboard, but with many unknown components. Cells operate in the domain of energy, information, and matter, and researchers are pushing the frontier to gain operational mastery of the cell. As we advance, the intersection of biology and technology will yield new discoveries and applications. Despite the challenges, the potential for innovation is vast, with examples including self-assembling solar panels in leaves.
The Power of Wetware: Self-replicating Cells and Synthetic Biology: Cells are complex structures with the ability to reproduce and grow, while synthetic biology allows us to manipulate and interconvert genetic material and information, combining the Internet's information transfer with biology's growth potential for orders of magnitude more powerful technology.
Cells are complex structures made up of a self-mixing milieu of 30% solid molecules and 70% water, with a high collision rate. This wetware is encoded by the genome, receives energy from the environment, and can make a physical copy of itself within 10-20 minutes. The power of wetware is evident in its ability to reproduce and grow, unlike our current technological landscape. Synthetic biology, with its ability to sequence and synthesize DNA, enables us to move between atoms and bits, making genetic material and genetic information interconvertible. This combination of the Internet's ability to move information and biology's ability to grow with the materials it needs makes synthetic biology a "crazy interesting" field with the potential to unlock orders of magnitude more powerful technology than what we have today.
Revolutionizing manufacturing and production with the bionet: The bionet, a technological revolution, enables the read and write of DNA, creating a 1D 'DNA printer' and manipulation of cells and ecosystems for microscopic and macroscopic manufacturing, transforming industries and economies.
We're on the brink of a technological revolution that involves decoupling bio-information from space and time through the use of the Internet and advanced computing, and then reconnecting it with the superpower of growth and reproduction in biology. This process, known as the bionet, has the potential to revolutionize manufacturing and production by enabling the read and write of DNA, and even the creation of a 1D "DNA printer" that programs the molecular machinery of cells to manufacture complex structures. The next level up from this is the manipulation of cells and ecosystems, leading to microscopic and macroscopic manufacturing, where anything biology can do is now within our reach. For instance, we can reprogram yeast to produce chemicals like morphine and scopolamine, eliminating the need for traditional farming and reducing the need for transportation and regulation. The potential applications of this technology are vast, and it has the power to transform industries and even entire economies.
Revolutionizing Molecule Production with Synthetic Biology: Synthetic biology enables mass production of essential molecules like medicines in labs, but must make it accessible to all for a sustainable future, with photosynthesis driving initial growth in biomanufacturing.
Synthetic biology is revolutionizing the way we produce essential molecules, such as medicines, without relying on natural resources or industrialization. By encoding the DNA of the desired molecule, we can create it at scale in a lab. However, as this technology matures, it must confront the challenge of making it accessible to everyone, not just those with concentrated capital. The ultimate goal is to enable 10 billion people to flourish on this planet by the year 2050, through biologizing processes and harnessing the power of biology at the intersection of energy, information, and matter. Currently, photosynthesis, which harvests 90 terawatts of energy, is the primary driver of biomanufacturing. Civilization uses only 20 terawatts, leaving a vast potential for growth. This first biological revolution aims to create a functioning planet with a flourishing human population and abundant biodiversity.
Transitioning to a State of Electricity Generation Abundance: We have excess renewable energy to power our manufacturing needs and can harness it for electro-biosynthesis, converting it into biomass and valuable organic molecules, addressing energy challenges and paving the way for a sustainable future.
We are on the brink of solving the Joule's and Adams puzzles, which refer to the challenges of generating and using enough energy to sustain human civilization and industrial processes. The good news is that we have more than enough renewable energy, specifically from biological growth, to power our manufacturing needs, which is approximately 4.5 times what civilization currently consumes. This excess energy can be harnessed and utilized in various ways, such as in the production of photovoltaic panels, which have seen a significant increase in return on energy (ROE) in the last decade, averaging 20 to 1 today. Moreover, synthetic biology offers an exciting opportunity to convert this excess electricity into biomass and other valuable organic molecules, such as formate, which can then be used in various applications, including agriculture and local biological manufacturing. This electro-biosynthesis process can be carried out anywhere there is access to sunlight and other necessary resources, making it a promising solution for areas with limited agricultural potential. In essence, we are transitioning to a state of electricity generation abundance, which will have a significant impact on various industries and our overall energy landscape. This development opens up new possibilities for solving long-standing energy challenges and paves the way for a more sustainable and efficient future.
Understanding and Communicating the Ambiguity of Biological Systems in Synthetic Biology: To harness the potential of synthetic biology, we must first overcome the challenge of understanding and communicating the complex, ambiguous nature of biological systems at the cellular level. This will unlock the development of fundamental tools and their deployment in various applications by the 2040s.
As we delve deeper into the realm of synthetic biology, we are faced with a significant cultural challenge: understanding and communicating the complex, ambiguous nature of biological systems at the cellular level. This ambiguity, which is essential for server operation in the digital world, poses a major hurdle for various applications, including medicine provisioning, longevity, and biosecurity. We must overcome this challenge before we can fully harness the potential of synthetic biology. The next few decades will see the development and proof of fundamental tools to unlock biology as a "GPT" (General Purpose Technology). In the 2030s, these tools will be deployed wherever they are needed. By the 2040s, we will begin to see the technology flourish. However, this timeline is not set in stone, and the progression will not be entirely linear. It is important to remember that synthetic biology is not just about hidden, lab-based applications. It is about biology that is embedded within us, on us, and in our environment. This concept was explored in the Lithuanian synthetic biology movie "Vesper," which offers a darker, more grounded perspective on the potential future of biotechnology. To truly grasp the potential of synthetic biology, we must first tackle the ambiguity at the bottom of the stack. Only then can we imagine a world where we use our biology to monitor our health, grow buildings using mushrooms, and create living treehouses.
Revolutionizing construction and design with biological processes: Biological manufacturing, such as growing mushrooms or using organisms to transform materials, can significantly reduce time and resources required for production in the construction industry.
The future of construction and design could be revolutionized by synthesizing materials and utilizing biological processes, allowing for the creation of complex structures in a shorter time frame. This was inspired by the idea of grinding up natural materials and reforming them into new ones, as seen in the production of artificial stone. This concept can be applied to growing houses or even creating mature trees in a short period of time. Biological manufacturing, such as growing mushrooms or using organisms to transform materials, can significantly reduce the time and resources required for production. Furthermore, the removal of the constraints of lineage, reproduction, and evolvability through synthetic biology could lead to groundbreaking advancements in various industries. The potential applications are vast, from building mycological tea houses to constructing houses using wood fungus, and even creating spider-woven suspension cables for towers. Ultimately, the goal is to create sustainable and efficient solutions for the future while minimizing waste and preserving natural resources.
Exploring the limitless potential of synthetic biology and blockchain: Synthetic biology's Turing completeness and atomic-level operation offer limitless possibilities. Blockchain projects like Arbitrum and Mantle pioneer scalability, enabling faster transaction speeds and lower fees in DeFi and NFT ecosystems.
Synthetic biology, like a computer system, has limitless potential due to its Turing completeness and operation at the atomic level. This means that it's impossible to imagine all the diverse things that could be created through it. In the realm of blockchain, projects like Arbitrum and Mantle are pioneering scalability and creating flourishing DeFi and NFT ecosystems, offering faster transaction speeds and lower gas fees. John Cumbers, the founder of Syn Bio Beta, shares his 20-year journey down the synthetic biology rabbit hole, from his initial fascination with exploring other civilizations and life forms in the universe, to his work at NASA's synthetic biology program, and the creation of Syn Bio Beta as an innovation hub for the synthetic biology ecosystem. Both Arbitrum and Mantle represent exciting developments in their respective fields, offering new possibilities and opportunities for exploration and creation.
Manipulating DNA to produce products through fermentation: Synthetic biology uses DNA manipulation and fermentation to produce insulin, chemicals, materials, food, and more in a more efficient and sustainable way
Synthetic biology, a field that has gained significant attention in recent years, is rooted in the ability to manipulate DNA and program cells to produce various products. This was first demonstrated in the 1970s when Genentech, a biotech company, used recombinant DNA technology to produce human insulin through fermentation instead of extracting it from animal pancreases. Fermentation, a process that converts one molecule into another, has been a key element in synthetic biology due to its adaptability and ability to produce a wide range of products. This was exemplified by the production of artemisinic acid, an antimalarial drug, which was previously extracted from the Chinese wormwood tree but is now produced through fermentation using engineered yeast cells. By harnessing the power of fermentation and programming cells, synthetic biology offers the potential to produce a vast array of products, from insulin and chemicals to materials and food, in a more efficient and sustainable manner.
Revolutionizing production with synthetic biology: Synthetic biology uses fermentation and genetic engineering to produce eco-friendly, cost-effective antimalarial drugs, bio-based oil, and performance materials, harnessing nature's power to create new products.
Synthetic biology is revolutionizing the production of various products, making them more efficient, eco-friendly, and cost-effective. By using the fermentation process and genetic engineering, researchers and companies are finding ways to produce antimalarial drugs, bio-based oil, and even performance materials, using cells instead of resource-intensive methods. This approach allows us to harness the power of nature and create new, net-new products. While we are currently focused on specific use cases, the potential of synthetic biology is vast and extends far beyond what we can currently imagine. It's important to remember that we are not just single cells or single products; we are complex organisms made up of trillions of cells, all communicating and working together. Inside each of these cells is an operating system that can produce a wide range of products. The future of synthetic biology holds the potential to impact the world on a massive scale, as we continue to unlock the secrets of nature and combine them with human ingenuity.
Understanding and engineering biological systems: Synthetic biology applies engineering principles to make biology easier to program and manufacture, ultimately leading to creating complex biological systems
While all living organisms share the same genome, the way genes are expressed and turned on or off creates unique characteristics. Synthetic biology, a relatively new field, aims to make biology easier to engineer by applying engineering principles to understand and harness the organic nature of biological systems. This could lead to creating complex biological systems, similar to how we program and manufacture technology like iPhones, but with the added ability for these biological systems to produce more biological systems. Synthetic biology is still in its infancy, but its ultimate goal is to make programming biology as accessible and efficient as programming computers or motherboards.
Learning from nature to revolutionize industries with synthetic biology: Synthetic biology can apply biological processes to create sustainable alternatives to traditional materials, reducing energy usage and CO2 emissions.
Synthetic biology, driven by a passionate community, has the potential to revolutionize various sectors of our economy and address pressing issues like climate change and equity, by engineering complex systems beyond single cells. Nature has shown us the power of biology in creating strong structures like wood and cement. Synthetic biology can learn from nature and apply biological processes to create sustainable alternatives, such as BioMason's microbe-fixed cement, which uses 5% of the CO2 compared to traditional cement production. By working with nature, synthetic biology can produce compounds with less energy and create a more harmonious and efficient production process. The potential applications of synthetic biology in creating sustainable materials and working with nature are vast and can significantly impact our world.
A new era in biology: Growing complex structures using living materials: We're making progress towards reprogramming living materials to grow complex structures like buildings and furniture, inspired by nature's ability to grow large organisms. Advancements in synthetic biology and industry investments are driving this vision forward.
We are on the brink of a new era in biology, where we can reprogram living materials to grow complex structures like buildings and furniture. This concept, while currently science fiction, is inspired by nature's ability to grow large organisms like trees and dinosaurs. The technology is still in its infancy, but with advancements in synthetic biology and significant investments in the industry, we are making progress towards this vision. This idea is based on programmed pattern formation, where a specific set of data is used to grow materials into desired shapes. An example of this is the Adidas jacket made from a polymer produced by LanzaTech through fermentation in steel mills. While not yet grown from scratch, this jacket demonstrates the potential of biology as a design and manufacturing platform. This is an exciting time for biology, and we can expect to see rapid advancements in the coming years.
Transforming waste CO2 into valuable products using microbes: Synthetic biology utilizes microbes as a manufacturing platform to reduce carbon emissions by capturing CO2 and producing valuable molecules like polyethylene, ethanol, and enzymes.
Synthetic biology offers a solution for reducing carbon emissions by transforming waste CO2 into valuable products using microbes as a manufacturing platform. Companies like Carbon Clean Solutions are capturing CO2 from steel mills and utilizing it to grow specialized organisms that produce various molecules, such as polyethylene, ethanol, and enzymes. This circular ecosystem not only reduces the need for fossil fuels but also showcases the potential of biology as a programmable and versatile manufacturing platform. Moreover, biology itself is programmable, with examples like the circadian rhythm in our bodies. Our bodies have natural oscillators that control our sleep-wake cycles, and the binding of molecules to receptors in the brain regulates these cycles. This concept of oscillation can be applied to setting goals in life and understanding addiction. In 2000, Michael Elowitz at Caltech published a groundbreaking paper on creating a synthetic oscillator inside an E. Coli cell, resulting in fluorescent bacteria that glowed and shrank in a simple pattern. This was one of the first examples of synthetic biology and demonstrated the potential of engineering complex biological systems. Overall, synthetic biology provides a powerful tool for creating circular ecosystems, customizing both inputs and outputs, and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
A future built with biology: Synthetic biology is evolving to become the norm, sustainability, equity, and reducing climate change are priorities, and decentralized science and blockchain technology could revolutionize the industry.
We are currently living in a pivotal moment in the history of synthetic biology. The term "synthetic biology" may soon disappear as biology becomes the norm for creating various products, from furniture to advanced technologies. The integration of biotechnology and the bioeconomy into our everyday lives is expected in the coming years. Synthetic biology industry leaders envision a future built on sustainability, equity, and reducing the impact of climate change. Decentralized science (DeSci) and blockchain technology are seen as potential solutions to address the broken systems in science funding, publication, and commercialization. The combination of these advancements could lead to a better future, one that is literally built with biology. Listeners are encouraged to explore these new information frontiers further by attending the upcoming synthetic biology conference.
Simplifying complex crypto processes with Uniswap mobile wallet and TOKU: Uniswap mobile wallet offers secure NFT storage and easy access to DeFi, while TOKU simplifies global token incentive award management with legal and tax support. Jennifer Holmgren emphasizes the need for a circular economy to reduce carbon emissions and create a less wasteful economy by using new technologies to make goods from waste carbon.
Both Uniswap mobile wallet and TOKU offer solutions to simplify complex processes in the crypto space. The Uniswap mobile wallet enables users to store NFTs, explore web 3 applications, and go directly into DeFi, providing secure custody from a trusted team. On the other hand, TOKU simplifies the process of managing global token incentive awards for companies, offering unmatched legal and tax support. Jennifer Holmgren of LanzaTech discussed the importance of a circular economy to address the one-way flow of carbon from the ground into the air, which contributes to pollution and the climate crisis. To create a systems solution, people need to understand where all goods come from, which is often fossil carbon. The next step is to use new technologies and distributed systems to make things from waste carbon instead. This approach will lead to a less wasteful economy and help stop dumping carbon into the atmosphere. The problem is deep and requires a similarly deep solution, making it essential to go all the way down to the root of the issue.
Using Biology to Transition to a Circular Carbon Economy: Biology can convert waste into valuable products, reducing costs and minimizing the need to move or clean up waste resources in factories, promoting a more efficient circular carbon economy
Biology plays a crucial role in transitioning from a linear carbon economy to a circular one by selectively converting waste into valuable products and effectively handling the chaos and inhomogeneity of waste resources. LanzaTech, for instance, uses biology to ferment waste gases, such as those from industrial factories, into ethanol, which can then be used to produce various goods. By implementing this biological solution directly into existing factories, LanzaTech reduces costs and minimizes the need to move or clean up waste gases. This symbiotic relationship between factories and LanzaTech results in a more efficient, circular carbon economy.
Turning waste carbon into valuable ethanol: Ethanol production from recycled carbon reduces emissions, creates a circular economy, and has significant scaling potential, but requires high initial investment
Ethanol, derived from recycled carbon, is a versatile building block that can replace traditional ethylene in the production of various essential materials and products, from plastics and foam to clothing and jet fuel. This process not only reduces carbon emissions but also helps create a more circular economy by utilizing waste carbon instead of relying on virgin resources. The potential for scaling this technology is significant, with costs decreasing as more plants are built and efficiencies are improved. However, the initial investment for building these facilities can be high, making it a capital-intensive endeavor. Despite these challenges, the long-term benefits, including reduced carbon emissions and resource conservation, make it a worthwhile pursuit.
The future of carbon capture lies in distributed systems using biotechnology: Biotech carbon capture could convert carbon into ethanol through gas fermentation, optimizing bacteria and engineering for efficiency and cost-effectiveness, potentially eliminating waste and becoming a crucial part of a post-pollution future.
The future of carbon capture could lie in distributed systems using biotechnology, specifically gas fermentation, to convert carbon into ethanol. This process, which has taken 17 years to optimize, involves engineering bioreactors to house bacteria that can efficiently produce ethanol from carbon sources, as well as developing cost-effective methods to scale up the process. With continued innovation and investment, this technology could become a crucial part of a larger suite of solutions to prevent carbon emissions and move towards a "post-pollution" future where waste is eliminated. Despite challenges, such as skepticism around distributed systems and the need to optimize the bacteria and engineering, the potential benefits make it a compelling area for further exploration.
