6533b838fe1ef96bd12a4ff2
RESEARCH PRODUCT
The Hidden Charm of Life
Manuel Porcarsubject
0301 basic medicineCharm (programming language)Computer scienceengineeringComplex system050905 science studiesliving systemGeneral Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular BiologyField (computer science)03 medical and health sciencesSynthetic biologyLiving systemEngineeringlcsh:ScienceEcology Evolution Behavior and SystematicsSynthetic biology05 social sciencesPaleontologyData science030104 developmental biologySpace and Planetary ScienceInformaticsPerspectivelcsh:Qsynthetic biology0509 other social sciencesBiotechnologybiotechnologydescription
Synthetic biology is an engineering view on biotechnology, which has revolutionized genetic engineering. The field has seen a constant development of metaphors that tend to highlight the similarities of cells with machines. I argue here that living organisms, particularly bacterial cells, are not machine-like, engineerable entities, but, instead, factory-like complex systems shaped by evolution. A change of the comparative paradigm in synthetic biology from machines to factories, from hardware to software, and from informatics to economy is discussed.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-01-07 | Life |