We explore synthetic biology in this Naked Scientists Show, finding out how to learn from, and improve on, the structures and systems we find in nature. We'll meet the team of students who designed a biological sensor to win the international genetically engineered machine competition, or iGEM, and find out how to build bespoke proteins. In Kitchen Science, we feed an egg to some enzymes to find out how biological washing powder works. Plus, what the brain does when it sees a familiar face, genetically modified crops boost resistant bug numbers, how to create hair cells, essential for hearing, in the lab and how Tibetans living the high life have different genes to their lowland neighbours!
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This week a group of researchers from California have been able to spot the moment at which your brain recognises a face. They’ve done this using the brain scanning technology known as fMRI – or functional magnetic resonance imaging...
Scientists have found that cultivating pest-resistant GM crop strains can paradoxically create a whole new breed of bugs...
Researchers have found the chemicals that make mice scared stiff if they smell a predator, such as a cat, rat or snake...
Scientists have discovered how to coax stem cells to become hair cells, the structures that turn soundwaves into brainwaves in the inner ear...
Researchers have discovered why Tibetans who have a taste for the high life are much better able to tolerate low oxygen conditions that you find at higher altitude and that’s compared with the lowland living counterparts. But it turns out that they carry at least ten unique gen...
What do we mean when we talk about Synthetic Biology? What does it involve? Dr Jim Haseloff from Cambridge University explains...
Do airline pilots have more haemoglobin?
Meera Senthilingam catches up with members of a team from Cambridge University that took part in the iGEM 2009 project, fusing biological and engineering knowledge to solve real-life problems...
One of the main aims that scientists have for synthetic biology is to be able to take what nature has already made and make it even better for doing certain jobs, and Dr. Ross Anderson at Bristol University is trying to do just that...
Dissolve some eggs and find out the difference between Biological and non-Biological washing powders, and that not all washing powders are the same.
Could synthetic biology be used for nefarious purposes?
We know that some genetically modified foods are designed to be pest-resistant, and were wondering about the mechanism - how do they do it?
If I eat a malformed apple, what are the chances that whatever caused the malformation might adapt to affect me in some adverse way? Could there ever be a cross over from plant to human of diseases, etc?
I am one of those totally torn by the issue of GM crops. I understand the argument (I think) but the leap forward from annual selection and breeding of crops is over shadowed by the unnecessary control by the developers whereby they retain control of the seeds. How can that benef...
What do we know about oil-degrading bacteria?
I have a question regarding blood types. Why do we, humans have different types of blood, and is it an evolutionary thing? where does it come from and what’s the purpose of it?
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