Synthetic biology is all about creating artificial DNA that is created in a laboratory and not found (but inspired) by nature. Synthetic in this case relates to the fact that the materials used in the creation of this DNA is artificial / synthetic. What is so shocking is the statistic that $25 worth of sugar is enough to model the human genome. This, to me, seems like a minute number compared with the millions of dollars of research poured into synthetic biology. The fact that so little money can give the potential to model so much means the possibilities of synthetic biology are not being held back by exorbitant costs. Along with this a base pair is just 40 cents. University students have been able to create in bacteria e.coli many different "machines". They can make this machines change colour after a stimuli has been detected. This could mean a temperature or a concentration. These are students with "shoe string budgets" (as said by the video) meaning that this is very much a reality.
They have been able to bring together different portions of genetic material and combine them in one bacterial plasmid to create a drug for maleria. The benefit of this is that the bacteria can reproduce and cultivate themselves meaning they can be cheap and readily available.
This relates to our course as synthetic biology is all about changing the DNA, this in turn, means that the synthethic DNA will be transcribed into mRNA which is then translated into proteins. These proteins are what gives the organism the properties that are so unique. The proteins are made by these synthetic DNA so the new DNA could be made into anything
They have been able to bring together different portions of genetic material and combine them in one bacterial plasmid to create a drug for maleria. The benefit of this is that the bacteria can reproduce and cultivate themselves meaning they can be cheap and readily available.
This relates to our course as synthetic biology is all about changing the DNA, this in turn, means that the synthethic DNA will be transcribed into mRNA which is then translated into proteins. These proteins are what gives the organism the properties that are so unique. The proteins are made by these synthetic DNA so the new DNA could be made into anything