Logo

So Punk

Mar 09, 2011

Do-it-yourself biology has its band of followers and, soon, a book recounting some of its exploits. Marcus Wohlsen's Biopunk: DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life is to come out next month and it details projects going on in people's kitchens and basements that tackle cancer and aging, but also how projects could go wrong. "In Biopunk, I chronicle a growing community of DIY scientists working outside the walls of corporations and universities who are committed to democratizing DNA the way the Internet did information," Wohlsen says at his blog.

Breaking News
The Scan

Not Kept "Clean and Sanitary"

A Food and Drug Administration inspection uncovered problems with cross contamination at an Emergent BioSolutions facility, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Resumption Recommendation Expected

The Washington Post reports that US officials are expected to give the go-ahead to resume using Johnson & Johnson's SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Canada's New Budget on Science

Science writes that Canada's new budget includes funding for the life sciences, but not as much as hoped for investigator-driven research.

Nature Papers Examine Single-Cell, Multi-Omic SARS-CoV-2 Response; Flatfish Sequences; More

In Nature this week: single-cell, multi-omics analysis provides insight into COVID-19 pathogenesis, evolution of flatfish, and more.