Issue | Summer 2024 | Synthetic Biology is in Fashion

Features

Meenakshi Prabhune, PhD | Jun 14, 2024 | 10+ min read

Scientists are pulling on the protein threads that bind textiles and cosmetics together.

Clipper spacecraft on a flyby over Europas surface.

Europa Clipper Searches for Life's Simple Necessities Beyond the Asteroid Belt

Shelby Bradford, PhD | Jun 14, 2024 | 10+ min read

NASA's upcoming satellite mission will explore the characteristics of Jupiter's ice-crusted moon. Its data will help scientists assess if the icy body has the potential to host life.

Speaking of Science

Cell Centered

Put on your thinking cap, and take on this fun challenge.

Editorial

Back to the Basics to Break Boundaries

Armed with cutting-edge technologies, scientists find innovative ways to better use biological systems.

Contributors

Meet the Team: Ashleigh Campsall

A chance trip to a graphic design studio set Ashleigh Campsall on a path of putting the life in life science stories through art.

Infographics

Infographic: Synthetic Biology is Transforming Clothes and Cosmetics

Recombinant proteins usher in an era of sustainable fashion.

Infographic showing how flow cytometry enables researchers to assess several cell parameters simultaneously at a single-cell level with the help of lasers.

Flow Cytometry: Scattering Light to Measure Cells

Scientists analyze and quantify characteristics of cells and other particles with the power of lasers.

Infographic showing the comparison between chemical and enzymatic DNA synthesis

Infographic: Chemical Versus Enzymatic DNA Synthesis

Polymerase-driven synthesis is gaining traction as scientists look to generate longer oligonucleotides and cut back on hazardous waste.

Infographic showing how the Europa Clipper will characterize many features of the icy moon orbiting Jupiter to determine whether or not it offers a good place to search for life.

Infographic: Exploring Habitability on Europa

Europa Clipper will characterize many features of the icy moon orbiting Jupiter to determine whether or not it offers a good place to search for life.

Foundations

Stem cells are compressed into a ball (green) by a C-shaped biobot (red).

From Code to Creature

A happenstance collaboration between biologists and roboticists led to the birth of a strange creation: living machines derived from frog stem cells.

Microscopy image of green and red neurons in a blue section of cortex.

Engineered Rabies Virus Illuminates Neural Circuitry

Scientists turned a deadly virus into a crucial tool for understanding the wiring of the brain.

A chromosome is gradually unwinding until the DNA double helix is visible. Proteins interact with parts of the DNA. Antibodies are attached to these protein-DNA interacting regions.

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Reveals DNA-Protein Interactions

Proteins interact with DNA to regulate many vital processes in cells. Nearly 40 years ago, researchers developed a way to map these molecular connections.

Profile

Building Cells from the Bottom Up

To understand the molecular blueprint for life, Cees Dekker is starting from scratch, building fully synthetic cells that are capable of cell division.

<em>T</em><em >rypanosoma brucei</em> parasites.

A Voyage of Curiosity and Vision

Parasitologist Luísa Figueiredo uncovered key elements of the secret life of African trypanosomes inside their hosts.

Herding Innovation in Livestock

Alison Van Eenennaam uses genome-editing technologies to aid beef cattle production and animal welfare.

Methods

A cell with gold particles inside is hit with a red laser.

How Flow Cytometry Spurred Cell Biology

The ability to rapidly count and measure features of cells opened the research flood gates.

Molecule of DNA, double helix, 3D illustration

Enzymatic DNA Synthesis: Going to Great Lengths

When chemical approaches for synthesizing longer DNA oligonucleotides plateaued, scientists turned to a one-of-a-kind enzyme.