Synthetic Biology is the name given to an emerging field of research that combines elements of biology, engineering, genetics, chemistry, and computer science. The diverse but related endeavours that fall under its umbrella rely on chemically synthesized DNA, along with standardized and automatable processes, to create new biochemical systems or organisms with novel or enhanced characteristics. Whereas standard biology treats the structure and chemistry of living things as natural phenomena to be understood and explained, synthetic biology treats biochemical processes, molecules, and structures as raw materials and tools to be used in novel and potentially useful ways, often quite independent of their natural roles. It joins the knowledge and techniques of biology with the practical principles and techniques of engineering. “Bottom-up” synthetic biologists, those in the very earliest stages of research, seek to create novel biochemical systems and organisms from scratch, using nothing but chemical reagents. “Top-down” synthetic biologists, who have been working for several decades, treat existing organisms, genes, enzymes, and other biological materials as parts or tools to be reconfigured for purposes chosen by the investigator.
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