Australia must support a precautionary approach to synbio at COP12

Australia must support a precautionary approach to synbio at COP12

As global governments meet to discuss synthetic biology (synbio) at the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting (COP12) in South Korea, Friends of the Earth is calling for a moratorium on the commercial release of synthetically modified organisms (SMOs) until a...
Australian court hands biotech company a patent on life

Australian court hands biotech company a patent on life

“A naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated.” These are the first words in a 2013 US Supreme Court decision regarding a patent on the human BRCA 1 gene – a product of nature...

Friends of the Earth launches new Emerging Technology Project

Friends of the Earth has today launched a new campaign for the precautionary regulation and testing of emerging technologies. The Emerging Tech Project will predominantly focus on nanotechnology, geoengineering [1] and synthetic biology [2] and maintain a watch on...
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...