Bio-Based Ideas

It's not often that I get to talk about what is actually happening at my own company which in many ways makes posting about what I really care about even harder. But as it turns out, today, I don't actually need to say much about all the exciting science, and development going on at Amyris. I don't have to because a New York Times article recently talking about all the great things happening at Amyris - with some things being more speculative than others. The article did such a good job explaining in layman's terms what it is that Amyris is doing, that I am just going to link the article to this blog article and call it "In Other Words". I recommend everyone reading this: What's that smell. Exotic Scents Made From Re-engineered Yeast

This is a brief post while I am still mostly writing my thesis. I found another TED video with an interesting way to combine fashion with bio-based products - very interesting indeed.

I have previously talked about the similarities and differences between the sustainable economy and the bio-based economy . As I am working on completing my PhD in 2011, I have started to look towards the next step. My goal for 2011 is to start a career in the sustainable biotechnology field, and so I have surveyed my options in California. In my survey on this topic, I have found that the sustainable biotechnology companies can be divided into three areas of activity: biofuels, industrial enzymes, and bio-based biochemicals. Perhaps the most visible field area of sustainable biotechnology is the biofuels field given the increased need to develop alternatives to fossil fuels. Because of the large potential market in this area, it may not be too surprising to learn that nearly every company in this field is involved in one form or another. This part will focus on companies that mainly are associated with biofuels development. They are characterized by mostly not having any products on...

Paint-By-Numbers Statue of Liberty In the latest Science Issue, the Venter Lab (Gibson et al. 2010) report that they have successfully created an "artificial genome" Mycoplasma mycoides which they transplanted into Mycoplasma capricolum cell to create a new Mycoplasma mycoides cell. In other words, they put the DNA of "A" into an organism of type "B". Just by doing so, they "converted" B into A. This begs the question.... So what? The dream of creating artificial life - that is to say recreate life from scratch with inanimate starting components - has been the dream of some researchers that want to get at the question of:"What is life?" Of these researchers, Craig Venter probably has been the most recognized figure. Craig Venter claims that understanding how one can create life from scratch will also give us the ability to create purpose-driven life-forms. With the current oil spill an example comes to mind where one could cr...