Almost Pizza_Almost Synthetic Biology

See this Saturday Night Live skit showing a synthetic bio-nanotech pizza (by Pfizer)

http://www.hulu.com/watch/348484/saturday-night-live-almost-pizza
http://climate-connections.org/2012/04/09/almost-pizza-synthetic-biology-hits-saturday-night-live/

Concerns for Public Health and Safety and Social Implications of Synthetic Biology

See link below for video testimonies:

http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/bioethics/100708/globe_show/default_go_archive.cfm?gsid=1380&type=flv&test=0&live=0

Video Purposely Ignores Public Health and Safety Issues in Synthetic Biology

Here is a rather propagandized video which is written to advocate for synthetic biology while leaving out many critical issues.  The most blatant omission is the public health and safety issues surrounding synthetic biology.  The world of biology doesn’t behave like a sky scraper like these engineers believe.  But rather, biology is dynamic with some predictable and many unpredictable ramifications of life including, growth, competition, reproduction, cancer and aposptosis.  The potential of increase human disease or environmental havoc that this advanced technology can cause is significant  Synthetic biology is also being used for germ warfare.

Becky McClain Speaks on Biotechnology and Public Health and Safety

On July 17, 2010 in San Francisco, Pfizer injured biotech molecular biologist Becky McClain discussed her firing for making OSHA complaints and also the potential and real dangers of unregulated development of products in the biotech and nanotech industry without proper oversight. The first US conference on biotechnology and health and safety was sponsored by the California Coalition For Workers Memorial Day www.workersmemorialday.org Additional presentations at the conference are Biotech, CA Osha & Health And Safety Presentation With Dr. Larry Rose http://blip.tv/file/3916683 The Toxic Environment, Public Health, ACOEM And Pfizer:Presentation By Dr. Jack Thrasher http://blip.tv/file/3921769 Conflict of Interest By Judge Says Sandi Trend, Mother of Injured Agraquest Biotech Worker Bell http://blip.tv/file/3924484 Dina Padilla Speaks At Biotech & Health And Safety Conference http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_-_XEnaiNg It was also endorsed by Council For Responsible Genetics www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org For additional information go to http://www.cpab.info/

http://www.blip.tv/file/3960030

Synthetic Biology on the Loose!

As biotechnology advances, so do the safety issues. Synthetic biology poses additional threats to public health and safety as biocontainment in private companies remains unregulated.

Craig Venter and company have built the genome of a bacterium from scratch and incorporated it into a cell to make what they call the world's first synthetic life form. Although this is a startling scientific advancement with ethical and safety issues, Ventor naturally downplays safety risks. For more on this story see this link with a great video: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/may/20/craig-venter-synthetic-life-form.

See also:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20100521_First_lab-created_organism_raises_ethical_questions.html#axzz0oXwzHZSL

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/05/21/MN4V1DI027.DTL

http://www.jcvi.org/cms/research/projects/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell/overview/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/science/21cell.html?hpw