Unfettered Optimism
This is a relatively old talk from the Chaos Communication Congress in 2007 on possibilities in DNA synthesis and programming. But most of the applications he mentions(about 1/3 through the video) are still astonishing– to lay people like me.
link
Although his optimism may by whitewashing some of the more nefarious devices enabled by the advent of customizable and wholly original lifeforms. It seems just as likely that the creation of a evil super-virus that infects millions of people could be countered by the creation of a benevolent super-virus that cures millions of people, and his long view about the technology ultimately being of such great benefit to humanity as to bring about a whole new age of human possibilities. I especially like the implications of minty-fresh e. coli.
I would really appreciate a way to be introduced to the core concepts and how these technologies– preferably without getting a PhD in microbiology.
Is it possible to find more information about DNA synthesis at a layman’s level? Or would too much information too soon cause the plebes to panic and ruin it for everyone?
