This information is definitely available at the university level, as well as at some forward-thinking and sufficiently well-equipped high schools with biotech programs. I agree that a culture that encourages open publication of results and an oversight board that helps to guide researchers with ethical and safety issues are two things that help such university programs flourish and be useful.

However, people will still do biology in home labs, and I’d love to see them offered the same kinds of resources.

I’d encourage anyone interested in the discussion of certifications to join in at:
http://groups.google.com/group/diybio/browse_thread/thread/b7cc9972929 be6fe

Cheers,
Jason

Mother Nature

We can only hope….

Safety and education is available at any college or university! Truthfully, all these people could easily do what they desire if they found the right lab and adviser, who would also help get them the proper equipment and funding. Even at the Master’s level, you can ask to do independent work.

My other thoughts:

Why do I support research in Universities controlled by departments and those who provide funding? This means that MOST researchers have to document and share their research. Universities want people who will publish for the scientific community, attracting fame and money.
Also, there is a rigorous, independent ethics board at every university that is there to protect us from people doing dangerous and hazardous experiments. Their sole purpose is to protect the rights of humans and animals that may be affected by what an independent researcher does in their lab. (YES, it might sound odd to say, but there is a high level of independence even in academic labs).

Think tanks and corporate labs are the places of which I am afraid.

Go find a copy of Frank Herbert (yes, the ‘Dune’ author) book “The White Plague” from 1982.

A bit dated since its about a scientist who decides to get back at the IRA for killing his family in a bombing, but in the forward he says he was scared at just how EASY it would be to kill off a major portion of the human race in a kitchen with a few tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment that anyone could gather.

1. Crap-bat Crazy people
2. Crap-bat Dumb people

I worry more about number 2. Dumb people… well… do dumb things. I once read about a guy who was cultivating edible mushrooms (reishi, maitake, and oyster) and got some mold infestations. He became so enamored with this issue that he began cultivating and sustaining various molds in his rental home where he was living, as to better understand them.

Yikes.

Now, if a guy like this starts genetically engineering things, problems occur. Big problems. Problems that kill people. There is a reason that people go to school and get degrees for this stuff. It’s not just to educate them on how to do it. It’s so that and institution can analyze behaviors in a controlled setting and weed out the number 1′s and the number 2′s.

Glad to hear it! Is there somewhere we can read more about her work?

@Noz,

You might be interested in looking into the emerging field of synthetic biology. Take a look at http://partsregistry.org and http://biobricks.org for a library and standard of reusable, composable DNA parts.

@George,

That’s certainly true. I think it’s paramount to focus on making education and safety information freely and openly available to amateurs.

-Jason

I think that is why the US Government and several others will actively look upon raiding such “amateur” labs because they fear how and what they will end up producing.

30 years ago my mother created genetically altered tropical fish to change their coloration. It was hobby stuff done by a college professor with a love of fish and supply of mutagenic materials. None of the exaggerated horror stories occurred.