The World of Synthetic Biology [Part I]
It's been a while since I recorded an episode on Bazaar & I wanted to kickstart things with something that I had absolutely ZERO idea about.Synthetic Biology. Yes, you read that right. I invited Sachin Sathyarajan, a lawyer by profession who is working as a legal expert at the UN Environment Programme, although if you talk to him you'd think he is a scientist.In Part I of the series we touched upon various questions like:(04:47) – What is Synthetic Biology [SynBio]? And how is it different from Biotechnology?(11:05) – What is DNA & what role does DNA play in Synthetic Biology?(14:33) – Can we create SUPERHUMANS through this technology?(17:38) – Is this technology slowly getting more accessible?(19:40) – Everyone can play GOD now?(21:00) – Recent innovations & breakthroughs in SynBio + what industries are ripe for disruption(25:52) – Talking about Gene Drives & how they work [Hint: We spoke about genetically engineered mosquitoes](29:06) – Exploring the concept of ‘Bio-prospecting’(31:40) – How SynBio could be instrumental in climate change(31:56) – What are the implications for Foodtech & Fashion?(36:40) –What are the pros & cons of this new piece of tech?(42:48) – BIOTERRORISM: what would happen if this technology got into the hands of let’s say ‘The Taliban’?(46:52) – How policymaking & regulations are EXTREMELY important in this space