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Book Review: Biopunk: DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life by Marcus Wohlsen

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By Daniel Grushkin

June 2, 2011 at 9:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

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This article is part of the June 6, 2011 issue of businessweek.

Biopunk:
DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life
By Marcus Wohlsen
Current; 256pp; $25.95

I first dabbled with genetic engineering two years ago in my apartment. A dozen strangers I'd met online hovered around a cherry dining room table while molecular biologist Ellen Jorgensen and I coaxed a new set of genetic instructions into a vial of bacteria. The new code, originally from jellyfish, successfully programmed the bacteria to glow green. It was a meager introduction to biotechnology. Afterwards, we ate pizza.