Recent News

By Region: North America

Genetic Code of E. Coli Is Hijacked by Biologists

(New York Times) Synthetic biology, the quest to hijack living systems and convert them to human-directed goals, is on the march. Last year biologists synthesized the entire genome of a small bacterium and showed how it could successfully infect a second bacterium. Now, in what may be a more significant advance, biologists have shown they Read More »

July 15, 2011
| Filed under North America, Biotechnology, and Research
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The Download: A roundup of the Biotechnology Industry Organization convention

(Washington Post) The Biotechnology Industry Organization’s annual international convention, held in the District last week, served as the backdrop for several news items of interest to the local biotechnology community. Here’s a roundup:

July 13, 2011
| Filed under North America and Biotechnology
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MicroKit Simplifies Infectious Disease Detection

(Wall Street Journal) Infectious diseases, such as the H1N1 influenza strain, have wrought havoc not only on human populations in recent years but increasingly on critical bits of economic infrastructure such as transport systems and hospitals. Efforts to contain the spread of the viruses are often hampered by the time and complicated processes involved in Read More »

July 13, 2011
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, North America, Biotechnology, and Countermeasures
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Biosecurity Expert Fears a Nanoparticle Attack

(National Defense Magazine) Microscopic bits of metal that float in the air in the aftermath of a terrorist attack could become a threat to national security, said an Italian pathologist. “Nanoparticles are physical pathogens that could be used for a new, cheap form of terrorism,” Antonietta Gatti, a researcher at the Italian Institute of Technology’s Read More »

July 13, 2011
| Filed under North America, Biological Weapons, Bioterrorism, and Research
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Tracking Public Health Trends With Twitter

(Medical News Today) Twitter allows millions of social media fans to comment in 140 characters or less on just about anything: an actor’s outlandish behavior, an earthquake’s tragic toll or the great taste of a grilled cheese sandwich. But by sifting through this busy flood of banter, is it possible to also track important public Read More »