(2012-10-10) Brand Reviews Regenesis

Stewart Brand reviews George Church and EdRegis' Regenesis about synthetic biology (NBIC). It is now possible to contemplate curing AIDS permanently; bringing extinct species back to life; devising microbes to manufacture complex materials and convert sunlight directly into fuel; heading off all viral disease; and even building “mirror life.” The technology is already far along. The book gives an inside report on the International Genetically Engineered Machine (IGEM) competition, where every fall for eight years teams of undergraduates have been creating novel micro-organisms (and ever more sophisticated DNA components [called](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bio Brick) Bio Brick-s); this year 190 student teams from 36 countries invented tiny new life forms with amazing capabilities. The prospects of synthetic biology are so exhilarating that many may find them frightening. Accordingly, practitioners in the field are at pains to discuss publicly how their technology works and all the ethical and hazardous dimensions of what they are working on and what they see coming on the horizon. Church’s book is an exciting exemplar of that outreach.