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December 2, 2008 8:56:31 PM CST

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'Biohackers' Push DIY Science in the Basement

Posted Sep 15, 08 12:28 PM CDT in US,  Technology,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – Just as individual computer experts can create new programs and technological movements from home, a new generation of scientists wants to make do-it-yourself biology a household activity. Sessions such as those teaching laypeople how to extract DNA show "how much science can be about duct tape and having a few screws in the right place," one "biohacker" tells the Boston Globe.

Though many science enthusiasts are eager for a time when hobbyists are creating molecules or bacteria with the same ease as model planes and ships in bottles, others have reservations. Just as hackers create computer viruses, home biologists could produce toxic chemicals or diseases. One home chemist, whose lab was raided by suspicious authorities, maintains his hobby is less dangerous than collecting guns.

Source Boston Globe

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The idea of doing science at home isn't revolutionary, but the push toward cell biology is a recent one.   ((c) saaby)
Some home chemistry or biology labs have been raided by police, prompting citizens to ask what's wrong with doing science at home.   ((c) saaby)
People with telescopes and microscopes can look at the stars and see the details of their world (like this fly's wing), and now biohackers want to expand the reach of home science.   ((c) kaibara87)
One convention taught attendees how to make bacteria that change color, or gain distinctive smells like that of a banana.   ((c) kaibara87)
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