Shameless Self Promotion # 200: Are We Alone

Just a little quick link here. People might be interested to check out the “Are we alone” Radio Show from July 21, 2008 (Are We Alone). A direct MP3 link is here. Here is there summary of the show from that date:

Remember Mr. Potato Head? You changed his look by snapping in plastic mustaches, googly eyes and feet. Now imagine doing the same with a living cell: inserting the genes you want to create the organism you want. Welcome to the world of synthetic biology. It has potential to create new bio-fuels and life-saving drugs. It also ushers in a host of ethical and safety concerns. We examine both when we discuss this emerging science of mix and match genes. Plus, does doing an end run around Mother Nature challenge the essence of life itself?

Guests:

• Jay Keasling – professor of chemical engineering and biological engineering at UC Berkeley and founder of Amyris Biotechnologies
• Jonathan Eisen – biologist at UC Davis
• Jim Thomas – researcher at ETC group in Ottawa, Canada
• Ed Regis – science writer and author of What Is Life: Investigating the Nature of Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology
• Michael Dosmann – curator of Living Collections at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

This show is produced by the SETI institute and has some interesting topics on different science things.

Author: Jonathan Eisen

I am an evolutionary biologist and a Professor at U. C. Davis. (see my lab site here). My research focuses on the origin of novelty (how new processes and functions originate). To study this I focus on sequencing and analyzing genomes of organisms, especially microbes and using phylogenomic analysis View all posts by Jonathan Eisen