Synthetic Biology A Primer

What Hacker News says

1. bionhowardMay 2023
   Seems like fractals are the difference maker here because if you don’t use a fractal you have to program the whole thing whereas if you use fractals (embryology) then your code can be massively recursive. Alternative splicing and epigenetics (holy shit, I can’t believe the iPhone autocorrect doesn’t know the word “epigenetics” in ‘23) also multiply the flexibility of the genome. Also, phosphorylation: proteins are not Boolean switches, they have arbitrary numbers of activation states. Ternary logic is already way more dense than Boolean so when you go even further like into 6-ary, 9-ary logics you’re a lot more free to program stuff. Also the network motifs are a lot simpler than first appear. The metabolic map looks like spaghetti on the wall but each point is composed of reusable blocks like feedforward and feedback etc (see Uri Alon’s book and “Wetware” book and Synthetic Biology: A primer for more detail)

   I’m biased as a molecular biologist but genetics and systems biology are the most incredible thing. Natural nanotech

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2. bionhowardDec 2020
   Synthetic Biology: A Primer

   Wetware: A Computer in Every Living Cell

   (the second for systems biology)

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3. sansnommeJun 2020
   For biology, assuming a CS/engineering background:

   Campbell's Biology

   Synthetic biology: A Primer

   An introduction to systems biology by Uri Alon (get the 2020 edition)

   O'Reilly: Biobuilder

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4. sansnommeJan 2020
   (Assuming a CS background) To do anything useful/fun/interesting in bio you should have a strong understanding of the Central Dogma, once you understand that you can move on to the rest. Many here recommend building gene analytics and other similar software/SaaS. I don't recommend it because you learn absolutely nothing from those low hanging fruits. Genetics and its relation to CS, at a sufficiently low level, is mostly string manipulation and search. There is a market if you are willing to build and do sales but it's hardly exciting. Better to get some actual wet lab experience and understanding, than become yet another "data science" biotech startup. We have had enough of those in healthcare already, tons of so-called "health tech" companies that were merely performing analytics on wearables. Profitable? Maybe. Exciting and innovative? No.

   Some reading material:

   Synthetic biology: A Primer

   An introduction to systems biology (get the 2020 edition)

   O'Reilly: Biobuilder

   Molecular biology of the Gene

   Campbell's Biology

   YouTube Channels:

   The Thought Emporium

   Josiah Zayner

   Khan Academy Biology

   Biology Professor

   Shomus Biology

   (The first two deal exclusively with bioengineering)

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5. kanzureJul 2017
   Many things in biology could be construed to be pointers if you squint hard enough--- promoters, transcription factors, all sorts of far-reaching regulation-effecting small molecules and proteins and variations of DNA/RNA molecules. Is "guide RNA" a pointer? what about the other gene targeting techniques-- like TALENs? see http://diyhpl.us/wiki/gene-editing/

   "Primer for synthetic biology" http://www.openwetware.org/images/3/3d/SB_Primer_100707.pdf

   pretty old presentation but here you go, "Synthetic Biology: A primer" http://cellbase.epfl.ch/twiki/pub/IGEM/PaperCollection/iGEM_...

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6. judegomilaAug 2012
   "Synthetic Biology - a primer" http://www.amazon.com/Synthetic-Biology-Paul-S-Freemont/dp/1...
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