synthetic-biology

Synthetic microbial communities give researchers controlled models for testing how diet reshapes gut microbial ecology, metabolism, and host-relevant responses. The review highlights how SynComs can strengthen causal inference, improve intervention testing, and support future precision nutrition, while noting major challenges in stability, standardization, and ecological realism.

Scientists have found a promising way for astronauts to produce their own medicine when resupply from Earth is no longer possible.

Nature Electronics, Published online: 19 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41928-026-01664-7 Parallel DNA synthesis is key to high-throughput synthetic biology and diagnostics, and potentially to DNA data storage, but has proved challenging under mild conditions. Now, a silicon chip is developed that enables the parallel enzymatic synthesis of 64 distinct DNA sequences in water through spatially programmed…

Drawing from historical examples, Carmen Kivisild puts forth a bold vision for why wet lab automation is the future of biology. I’ve had similar hopes/thoughts for how biology will progress and I greatly enjoyed how this essay put words to these concepts. Like Grace Hopper killed the punch card. The story of how “scientist” gets […]

Nature Communications, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74424-y Biological valorization of lignin is hindered by substrate toxicity and metabolism inefficiency. Here, the authors established a platform for lignin-derived aromatics tolerance engineering and multi-node dynamic pathway control in Corynebacterium glutamicum.

Nature Communications, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74506-x Heterologous expression of plant-derived enzymes often limits microbial biosynthesis of valuable natural products. Here, the authors establish an enzyme sequence redesign strategy guided by evolutionary and structural information, achieving enhanced glycosyltransferase activity in Escherichia coli for the effici…

Connecticut-based biotech LambdaVision has spent nearly a decade turning the International Space Station (ISS) into its primary manufacturing floor. The company has developed an artificial retina, which is assembled from hundreds of alternating layers of bacteriorhodopsin, a light-sensitive protein.  On Earth, gravity creates sedimentation and buoyancy effects that disrupt layer uniformity, …

An interdisciplinary team of Rice University researchers has uncovered previously unknown relationships between bacteriophages - viruses that infect bacteria - and their bacterial hosts, offering a powerful new tool for next-generation microbiome engineering.

Nature Communications, Published online: 16 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74408-y Synthetic gene circuits enable cellular programming, but executing complex functions in mammalian cells remains challenging. Here, the authors introduce RNA-based circuit designs that enable logic gates, adders, and a multiplexer in fewer computational layers, addressing scalability barriers.

A personal health crisis led me to "biohacking." Combined with ancient practices like meditation, the future of health may be personalized, tech-driven approaches to healing.

Further reading. https://academic.oup.com/brain/advanc… https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awae150 #organoids #sciencenews #brainorganoids #sentience #biocomputers #conciousness

Artificial symbiosis enables three-dimensional living materials to be produced with properties normally associated with organisms rather than industry – potentially changing how materials can be manufactured. The work could open new possibilities in areas ranging from wound healing and biological reactors to responsive materials that can repair themselves.

Delve into the fascinating world of organoid intelligence at XPANSE 2024 in Abu Dhabi. Presented by Dr. Thomas Hartung, Professor of Medical Microbiology at Johns Hopkins University, this session explores the cutting-edge research and potential of lab-grown organoids to revolutionize computing, medicine, and neuroscience. XPANSE, the world’s first visioning of the future with exponential technolo…

Markov Biosciences, a startup in San Francisco, is betting that biology is about to have its GPT moment. In this episode, founder Adam Green explains the "bitter lesson" for biology, the idea borrowed from Richard Sutton that large unbiased datasets and the right training objective tend to outcompete models with hard-coded rules and human priors. Adam thinks, in particular, that the virtual cell …

Nature Communications, Published online: 13 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-73579-y By swapping a single nitrogen atom for sulfur, researchers switched the enzyme KatG from its natural cofactor assembly to stereoselective sulfoxidation, revealing how atomic-level precision can reprogram complex enzymatic pathways.

Using hundreds of thousands of neurons anchored to the device, the Science architecture connects to the brain with orders of magnitude more bandwidth than current state-of-the-art devices, while avoiding the damage and limitations of putting wires into a brain.

Not so long ago, DIY biology mostly meant extracting DNA from strawberries or growing mold in a petri dish for a school science project. Those experiments are still around, but the world of amateur biology has evolved considerably over the past decade.  Today, a growing network of community biology labs and citizen scientists is making biotechnology more […] The post DIY biology experiments: how …

Modern incubator shakers play a critical role in recombinant protein expression workflows by providing reliable temperature control, consistent orbital shaking, and scalable culture capacity. This article explores how these systems support microbial growth, expression optimization, and shake flask scale-up across biotechnology and molecular biology laboratories. The post How incubator shakers sup…

Kidney transplantation remains the most effective treatment for end-stage kidney disease, yet a severe shortage of donor organs continues to limit access for millions of patients worldwide.