Topic
Synthetic Biology
Episodes and research papers from From First Principles that help explain Synthetic Biology from the ground up.
Episodes
Conversations and explainers connected to Synthetic Biology.
Can Human Neurons Really Play Doom? The Science Behind Wetware
Did a dish of human neurons really learn to play Doom—or is the wetware story more hype than breakthrough?
Optovolution: Teaching Proteins to Think Like Computers
A new EPFL breakthrough uses light and the cell cycle to evolve proteins that can switch, compute, and behave more like software.
New Supernova, Virus+Bacteria vs Cancer, Electron Spin, Bee Superfood
Supernova, cancer microbes, spintronics, and bee superfood.
Oldest Molecule, Programmable Proteins, Europa Radar & Light's Double Life
First molecules, recoded proteins, Europa radar, and double-slit physics.
Research
Papers and studies featured by the show.
Growth-coupled microbial biosynthesis of the animal pigment xanthommatin
Imagine you want to teach bacteria to make a valuable pigment (a coloring compound) that normally comes from animals. The problem is that bacteria are usually lazy - they don't want to waste energy making something they don't need. These scientists solved this by creating a clever "deal" with the bacteria: as the bacteria make the pigment, they also produce a nutrient (formate) that they desperately need to survive and grow. It's like telling the bacteria "the more pigment you make, the more food you get." This creates a positive feedback loop where making the desired product actually helps the bacteria thrive, so they're motivated to make lots of it. The result? They can now produce gram quantities (enough to see and use) of this complex animal pigment using just sugar and engineered bacteria.