Science/Ideas

摘要

Within the next few years, scientists will be able to produce morphine with genetically engineered yeast. That's just one example of synthetic biology-already researchers have modified algae to manufacture bio-fuel and palm oil substitutes. For yeast to synthesize morphine, 15 enzymes have to work in a kind of black-tar assembly line, each of them encoded by a distinct gene. That'll take some molecular fiddling. But in layperson's terms, here's how synbio is done.