Better Living Through Science

I don't know much about science, I frankly don't have too keen an interest in the subject. I had hoped to be a cardiac surgeon in high school, until I barely passed basic chem, which kinda put a kibosh on the whole idea. But throughout my reading on alternate fuel sources I have realized that many of the solutions for fuel, other than petroleum, will not only be found in science, but specifically in microbiology and genetic engineering.

I'm not saying that I condone opening Pandora's Box and starting a new island of Dr. Moreau. But science has tremendous power to change our world for the better, or admittedly, for the worst. Yes, science has given us the atomic bomb, but it also gave us penicillin and electricity, among other perks.

Like I mentioned before, I don't know much about science, and I know next to nothing about microbiology, but Esquire lauded Jay Keasling, genetic-engineering pioneer in their October 2008 issue for his work establishing the Joint Bio-Energy Institute in Emeryville, CA. Coupled with a $134 million grant from the Department of Energy and a team of 150 students and scientists they are hoping to take waste-plant materials, such as chaff and cornstalks and convert them into hydrocarbons, which are apparently petroleum products. Yay better living through science! (Esquire, October 2008, 106)

Esquire also shined the spotlight on a Mr. Craig Venter, who is a microbiologist and entrepreneur in La Jolla, CA. He is working on creating "synthetic genomes" that can make grass or palm oil as "viable fuel sources." I have no idea how he plans to to do it, but I'm all for it! (Esquire, October 2008, 138)

And Esquire, in the same issue, also wrote up a Mr. Drew Endy, who bears an odd resemblance to a younger Steve Jobs, who was also mentioned on the same page of the same issue. Compare page 128 and 192 if you don't believe me. He also looks a little like a young Bill Gates, but better looking than Bill was in the 1970's. The article on Drew Endy is actually the reason that I came to the conclusion that micro-bio and genetic engineering and synthetic bio may find the solution to breaking our dependence on petroleum.

Drew Endy is an assistant professor at Stanford, is pushing for an "open-source collection of BioBrick parts- strands of DNA in standardized shapes that can snap together like Legos and his upcoming "Parts Fab," a nonprofit institute that will be one half BioBrick factory, one half open-source library." (Esquire, October 2008, 128)

But the reason I laud him is because he advocates a check and balance system, saying that "when people order DNA, he believes they should have to submit a proposal describing their intent [and that]. . .all artificially designed DNA to be "signed" by its designer."

For levity watch the highly underrated I Heart Huckabees and wait for Mark Wahlberg to shout with all the sincerity of a wide-eyed radical, "We have a deadly petroleum crisis here people!" Priceless.

If you wonder if Esquire is having a science geek issue, that is far from the case. All three (four) men mentioned were cited as the 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century.