The End of The Biotech Priesthood
Just as happened for the business of writing software, falling costs will turn biotechnology from a select priesthood into an endeavour undertaken by at all levels by all sorts of people. If we want rapid progress, then the broadest possible research community is what we'd like to see. Here's an h+ Magazine interview with one of the early adopters: "while one might envision dozens of isolated home biologists homebrewing genes in their basements and garages, there is a social aspect to this movement that goes beyond the online. Some people who lack the space to store large amounts of equipment have formed co-op labs where they work together. Meetings, arranged over the net, generally happen at people's homes and have a party vibe. ... Why has this field suddenly exploded? The answer goes far beyond falling costs and the rise of the garage tinkerer, although these are factors. One big factor seems to be a desire to solve some of today's major problems. Discussions seem to frequently drift towards two particular topics: creating fuel-generating microbes and finding remedies for disease. Indeed, the DIYbio community owes much of its increase in size to do-gooders, concerned citizens who see DIYbio as a method of confronting problems in a novel way. And while this is heartening, many members simply want to pursue science for the love of it. They're DIY simply because they wish to conduct research into relatively unprofitable fields."
Link: http://www.hplusmagazine.com/articles/bio/darning-genes-biology-homebody