So far, all of biological research is done on a single sample of life. But synthetic biology aspires to engineer fundamentally new life forms, to help us investigate the limits and possibilities of biology and to answer questions about healthy and diseased natural cells. One approach is to create synthetic minimal cells - encapsulated bioreactors – which possess some, but not all, properties of living cells. Another set of experiments aims to create “mirror life” in which key biomolecules are replaced by their mirror images – research that presents ethical dilemmas pitting scientific progress against safety.
The “Thinking Beyond” webinar series features renowned physicists Paul Davies, Sara Walker and Maulik Parikh from the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University and addresses big questions/topics in science. This month, Kate Adamala will present the topic and will be joined by Paul Davies and Sara Walker.
Kate Adamala is McKnight Presidential Fellow Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on synthetic cell engineering, with the aim of understanding chemical principles of biology, using artificial cells to create new tools for bioengineering, drug development, and basic research. The interests of the lab span questions from the origin and earliest evolution of life, using synthetic biology to colonize space, to the future of biotechnology and medicine. Kate is a co-founder of the synthetic cell therapeutics company Synlife, a Polymath Fellow of the Geneva Center for Security Policy, and co-founder and coordinator of the international synthetic cell engineering consortium Build-a-Cell. Lab info protobiology.org.
Please submit your questions for discussion during the webinar to deepthought@asu.edu with the subject ‘Thinking Beyond- Creating a New Tree of Life in the Lab’
Questions can also be submitted during the webinar through the zoom Q&A.