The use of techno-utopian narratives to further corporate control

The use of techno-utopian narratives to further corporate control

Techno-utopianism (n.) − any ideology based on the belief that advances in science and technology will eventually bring about a utopia, or at least help to fulfil one or another utopian ideal. It is tempting to dismiss techno-utopian views as the realm of fringe...
Synthetic Yeast

Synthetic Yeast

The recent announcement of the creation of the first synthetic yeast chromosome sent shockwaves through the scientific community. Scientists claim this and other applications of synthetic biology will allow us to understand lots more about how our own human cells...
The Brave New World of Synbio

The Brave New World of Synbio

Here’s a thought experiment: what if living things were actually machines? What if they were the sort of machines that you could take apart, reprogram, and hack to do something entirely new? Plants that glowed like light bulbs? Yeast that produced vanilla?...
Synthetic biology: Genetic Engineering Goes Extreme

Synthetic biology: Genetic Engineering Goes Extreme

Exactly twenty years ago the first genetically modified (GM) food entered commercial use, sparking massive controversy, trade fights and resistance from farmers, consumers and workers worldwide. Now the biotech industry is poised for a second assault on the food...

Don’t leave technology policy to the ‘experts’

It is precisely Henry Miller’s attitude of leaving policy and technology development to the ‘experts’ that has left us in the position we find ourselves today. The development of nuclear technology has resulted in the Fukishima disaster and the proliferation of...