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Biohacking: How DIY Scientists Are Upgrading Their Bodies To Gain Superhuman Abilities

By Briana Jones
December 20, 2015

Eyedrops that give you superhuman night vision. Pills that raise your IQ. Thanks to biohacking, we can now practically create superheroes. But should we?


Image Source: The Plaid Zebra.com

Amateurs tinkering with human biology and genetics. Sounds dangerous, right?

Biohacking—which probably sounds even more dangerous—is a relatively new term that encompasses all manner of amateur experimentation now taking place outside the scientific establishment.

Today, DIY biohacking is a veritable underground movement. Biologists, CEO’s, nutritionists, anyone and everyone curious to understand the biology of the world around us have taken part in the biohacking and biopunk ideologies, which advocate for open access to scientific information and tools, and the freedom to experiment with them. The movement thus aims to increase the scope of scientific work done outside of private institutions, to reclaim experimentation for the masses, and to increase diversity in scientific research.

Of course, the scientific ethics of all this are now hotly debated. Although many are excited by the prospect of DIY biology–and the ability to give humans superpowers (read on…)–there are those who see great danger in the future of biohacking, those who don’t think humans (especially amateurs) should play god.

Should this wildly experimental biology be left to the pages of science fiction? Either way, there are now many prominent figures and experimental labs already churning up results. Check out some of the most extraordinary cases of biohacking and decide for yourself whether we must put a stop to it or not:

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Biohacking: Fluorescent Yogurt Saves Lives


Image Source: The Guardian

“We reject the popular perception that science is only done in million-dollar university, government, or corporate labs; we assert that the right of freedom of inquiry, to do research and pursue understanding under one’s own direction, is as fundamental a right as that of free speech or freedom of religion.”—An excerpt from “A Biopunk Manifesto,” written by leading biohacker Meredith L. Patterson.

Meridith L. Patterson does not hold a biology degree—she is a linguistics and computer science professional who works out of her kitchen and uses improvised household instruments. Yet, even without a high-end lab or the other trappings of professional, established researchers, Patterson is successfully working on producing a strain of the yogurt bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus, which completes the human body’s metabolic pathway for vitamin C and thus prevents scurvy.

Patterson has already successfully created yogurt that turns fluorescent green if contaminated with the chemical melamine. This could prove to be a major breakthrough in food safety, as the highly toxic melamine can sometimes find its way into the food supply.


Image Source: Deseret News

Patterson’s role in the biohacking community extends well beyond the experiments she’s doing: She’s also regarded as one of the leaders of the movement. In “A Biopunk Manifesto,” Patterson questions where the 20th and 21st century equivalents of DIY scientists like Benjamin Franklin, Edward Jenner, or Marie Curie have gone. With the emphasis on institutionalized higher education, Patterson contends, scientific diversity has suffered. Patterson claims that biohacking can reclaim that precious lost diversity.

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Biohacking: The 3D Printer That Can Make Live Cells


Image Source: Techonomy

Eri Gentry brought biohacking into the mainstream in 2013 when the White House honored her as a Champion of Change, due to her commitment to democratizing science and science literacy for anyone willing to learn.

Like most biohackers, Gentry did not receive a formal education in biology, so she sought work in a lab that would not require her to be professionally trained. Eventually, she found a non-profit biotech lab, SENS, that took her in as a volunteer. After a colleague passed away from esophageal cancer, Gentry and the SENS Director of Research, John Schloendorn, founded a non-profit cancer research lab, Livly. Primarily located in a dingy California garage filled with tools and equipment purchased from eBay and pharmaceutical companies’ liquidation sales, their workspace was less than ideal.

Then, Gentry started holding gatherings via the DIYbio community in her home, where anyone who was curious could attend. Chemists, software developers, and even artists joined the meetings. Gentry discovered that there were many people like her—untrained in the field of biology—who had a passion for science. Gentry knew their needs: access to equipment, education, and a professional lab. The idea was to develop a hackerspace solely devoted to biology. With the help of a successful Kickstarter campaign, the idea became reality.


Biohackers working in the BioCurious lab. Image Source: Meetup

Now, her 2,600-square foot BioCurious laboratory in Sunnyvale, CA is open seven days a week and stands as one of the largest DIYbio organizations in the entire world. For only $100 a month, curious artists, entrepreneurs, engineers, musicians, and anyone else interested in expanding their knowledge of biology can access the labs and the many classes available. All around, BioCurious is one of biohacking’s great success stories. The lab even developed its own Bioprinter—a 3D inkjet printer that can print live cells using biological materials.


The BioCurious bioprinter. Image Source: WIRED

As the BioCurious mission statement says, “Innovations in biology should be accessible, affordable, and open to everyone.” And while, outside of California and New York, open source labs are few and far between, garage-dwelling biohackers are on the rise. In the words of PBS NewsHour special correspondent Spencer Michels, “What started as a fringe science has become almost mainstream.” Stanford University has even constructed a new lab dedicated to synthetic biology, a formal term for biohacking. Michels continued, “Biology has become a citizen sport, a place where anyone with or without training can do hands-on biology, and perhaps change the world.”

http://all-that-is-interesting.com/

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henceforth, it would be difficult for me to believe that some are naturally smarter or more talented than others.  one never knows...

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