On today's Your Call we’ll have a debate about the emerging field of synthetic biology. Biologists are now synthesizing everything from petroleum to vanilla – and the Bay Area is ground zero for the research. What are the implications of this kind of technology? Proponents say it will save natural resources and curb global warming. Opponents say it's an extreme version of genetic engineering and poses too many environmental and health risks. Where do you stand? Join the conversation on the next Your Call with Matt Martin and You.
Guests:
Jack Newman, chief science officer at Amyris, Inc., (AMRS) a renewable fuels and chemicals company in Emeryville, Ca
Eleonore Pauwels, public policy scholar with the Science and Technology Innovation Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Dana Perls, food and technology campaigner with Friends of the Earth
Resources:
The Wilson Center: "The Molecular Economy: Can we avoid the perils while realizing the promises of manufacturing at an atomic scale?"
Friends of the Earth - Synthetic Biology
Friends of the Earth - No Synbio Vanilla
Environmental Leader:Proterro Patents Biosynthetic Sugar-Making Process
MIT News: MIT Center for Integrative Synthetic Biology receives five-year NIH grant
The Seattle Times: Biotech builds cells like you build an app
