These past two weeks have been just as exciting at the last. The plethora of experiments and demonstrations we have done during class come from all divisions of synthetic biology. From making "working" gel electrophoresis using only grocery store items and legos, to making bacterial "photographs", each project has given me a taste of real world applications of Course 20.
The video we watched on the plausible threat of recombinant DNA provided me with a unique scope on how far synthetic biology has come. When at one point scientists were arguing about whether or not introducing this technology into BL2 labs would be safe, we now transform simple E. Coli in a regular classroom, with the only safety item of gloves. Although we are only making bacteria purple or green, it is a true testament to how far science has leaped forward since a mere 30-40 years ago.
The class as a whole has remained fascinating from day one. There is never a dull point, and even if there is, we get tea and cookies to help cope with those times. Nevertheless, this class has been worth the time commitment thus far, and I'm sure it will continue to be a class I look forward to in the morning or after a long day of lectures.
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