Synthetic Genomics turns to palm oil with $8M investment
Craig Venter is famous for discovering and modifying microorganisms, but his biofuels company, Synthetic Genomics, plans to take the research a step further by sequencing the genome of the oil palm plant.
The company just raised $8 million from Genting Group, a Malaysian conglomerate, according to… Continue Reading
A man’s genome sequenced, publicly — welcome to “celebrity genomics”
It’s finally all about him.By “him,” of course, we mean J. Craig Venter, the iconoclastic scientist who had his entire genome sequenced, posted in a public database, and analyzed in a scientific paper published Monday in the online journal PLoS Biology. Dave Hamilton writes about… Continue Reading
Weekend update: The spinning of Baby Einstein, multiple-med confusion, and more
(UPDATED: See below.)
Revisiting a few life-science stories you might have missed over the weekend:
“Baby Einstein” creator’s defense: We were just kidding! — You have to feel at least a little sorry for Julie Aigner-Clark, the entrepreneur who created the best-selling line of “Baby Einstein” videos for… Continue Reading
Roundup: Virtual sex bed suit, Geni, Gay.com, Netvibes, Helio and more
Here’s the latest (ahem) action:
Second Life avatar sues another avatar, over virtual sex bed — We should have predicted this. Second Life entrepreneur Kevin Alderman has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Second Life resident Volkov Catteneo. This is apparently the first time an avatar has… Continue Reading
Craig Venter wants to patent some life forms
Craig Venter, the controversial entrepreneur who led the private-sector effort to sequence the human genome, is now seeking a patent for a “minimal genome,” a type of synthetic biology aimed at creating life forms, or living “machines.”
It may even be used for creating ethanol… Continue Reading