Biopunk

Solving Biotech’s Biggest Problems in Kitchens and Garages

By: Marcus Wohlsen

Narrated by: Paul Michael Garcia

Champions of synthetic biology believe that turning genetic code into Lego-like blocks to build never-before-seen organisms could solve the thorniest challenges in medicine, energy, and environmental protection. But as the hackers who cracked open the potential of the personal computer and the Internet proved, the most revolutionary discoveries often emerge from out-of-the-way places, forged by brilliant outsiders with few resources besides boundless energy and great ideas.

In Biopunk, Marcus Wohlsen chronicles a growing community of DIY scientists working outside the walls of corporations and universities who are committed to democratizing DNA the way the Internet did information. The "biohacking" movement, now in its early, heady days, aims to unleash an outbreak of genetically modified innovation by making the tools and techniques of biotechnology accessible to everyone. Borrowing their idealism from the worlds of open-source software, artisinal food, Internet startups, and the Peace Corps, biopunks are devoted advocates for open-sourcing the basic code of life. They believe in the power of individuals with access to DNA to solve the world's biggest problems.

You'll meet a new breed of hackers who aren't afraid to get their hands wet, from entrepreneurs who aim to bring DNA-based medical tools to the poorest of the poor to a curious tinkerer who believes a tub of yogurt and a jellyfish gene could protect the world's food supply. These biohackers include:

• A duo who started a cancer drug company in their kitchen
• A team who built an open-source DNA copy machine
• A woman who developed a genetic test in her apartment for a deadly disease that had stricken her family

Along with the potential of citizen science to bring about disruptive change, Wohlsen explores the risks of DIY bioterrorism, the possibility of genetic engineering experiments gone awry, and whether the ability to design life from scratch on a laptop might come sooner than we think.

©2011 Marcus Wohlsen (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

I love Cruelty squad

this says a lot about our society and yet we live in one
Aldo this felt like a multi hour sustained panic attack

Fascinating

Fascinating information presented in an easily digestible format. Would highly recommend to anyone interesting in learning more about the evolution of scientific advances and the renegade pioneers who are leading the charge.

Good for Beginners

I had never being curious about Bioengineering or related fields. This book has changed the way I see biology. As an engineer myself, l understand some of the annoyance of not being able to create and experiment on our own without costly hardware. In my case this has changed a lot due to microprocessors being so cheap, I hope that for all of you biohackers it gets to the same point in the future.
I will keep my eyes open to see news about this branch because it is very interesting indeed. Thanks for this fun approach to the mysticism involving biohacking.

Not sure…

…what to do with this one… was it an interesting listen? Yes.

Do I agree a lot of Bioengineering/medicine/health is staid, stolid, corrupted by big corps blocking any advance if it costs them a dime? Yes.

But, does that mean I like a reporter who for stretches of whole pages / minutes clearly gets carried away by lionizing and adoring folks you really may not want as your direct neighbor (for hazmat and maybe in the near future for communicable custom diseases reasons)? No.

And do I think these adorable biotinkerers know what they’re doing and will inherently have a positive impact? Not convinced, at least.

This is written in the modern style of journalism, no opinion and pretending to be neutral, but really just leaving all doors open to have excuses at the ready, if things go south.

Plus, would have liked to know how many of the ppl in the book checked out their brains during the pandemic and joined the clown car if anti-vaxxers, bleach and horse medicine pushers?

Subject Matter is Irritating

Downloaded this book because it was free to me. I am a life scientist and I specifically work with bacterial and viral pathogens including SARS-CoV-2. I find it disturbing that people are facilitating “hobbyists” setting up wet labs in their own homes with no oversight or formal training. The book is clearly outdated, written during a time where the most relevant epidemic in the USA was swine flu. Part of the “democratize bioengineering” thesis was that laypeople could help solve epidemiological problems. During the COVID-19 pandemic however, these people were worthless. It was academics who sequenced samples and uploaded them to places like GISAID and GNUVID. It was corporate scientists that developed effective vaccines and biologic/small molecule therapeutics. It was hospital-based MLS personnel that ran routine testing. These so-called “bio hackers” didn’t contribute anything useful. To me, it’s a farce to justify loosening necessary regulations around performing bioengineering and genetic techniques. They compare biohacking in your basement to Mark Zuckerberg inventing Facebook in his dorm room, a comparison that is equally absurd and inapplicable. Imagine the depth of ignorance required to make such a statement. The performance of the book is also mediocre, to top it all off. No wonder it was free.