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Re: White House Urges Cautious Exploration of Synthetic Biology's Potential
Posted by: Mike Martin 2010-12-16 14:55:03
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At least partly reversing Bush Administration aversion to emergent exotic biological research, President Barack Obama's 13-member Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues Thursday issued 18 recommendations on synthetic biology -- life, designed and built in the laboratory. "Our major recommendation is that the federal government, through the Executive Office of the President, start to coordinate and oversee what all federal agencies are doing in the field of synthetic biology," said commission executive director Valerie Bonham.
The notion of synthetic biology is like saying synthetic physics. We forget that we are part of biology, not the other way around. Human intervention does not make it any less biology or physics. Applying the knowledge is the issue. The more that government is unwilling to fund research, the less able it will be to give ethical guidance as to the conduct of research. As to fact checking, you might want to have a respectful discussion with Wikipedia, where the average person is more likely to look for answers first.
