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Synthetic biology: from mainstream to counterculture

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Abstract

Existing at the interface of science and engineering, synthetic biology represents a new and emerging field of mainstream biology. However, there also exists a counterculture of Do-It-Yourself biologists, citizen scientists, who have made significant inroads, particularly in the design and development of new tools and techniques. Herein, I review the development and convergence of synthetic biology’s mainstream and countercultures.

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Acknowledgments

RDS is Coordinator of the EU FP7 Grant ClouDx-i.

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Correspondence to Roy D. Sleator.

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There are no conflicts of interest that the author is aware of.

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Communicated by Erko Stackebrandt.

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Sleator, R.D. Synthetic biology: from mainstream to counterculture. Arch Microbiol 198, 711–713 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-016-1257-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-016-1257-x

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