In Part I of this Series, I invited Sachin Sathyarajan - a legal expert at UNEP to talk about the exciting new field of Synthetic Biology. 

We covered a lot of ground in that episode, talking about the recent innovation and breakthroughs in this sector and how it could reshape the human condition. 

Naturally, there are two sides to a coin. And in this episode - we spoke about the dark side of Synthetic Biology and the potential RISKS involved. We covered various things like: 

(02:00): Biology becoming Technology AND Technology becoming Biology 

(08:55): CRISPR kits to modify human DNA 

(10:05): What happens when you have control over your genome & it’s expression? 

(11:17): BIO-SAFETY Vs BIO-SECURITY 

(15:00): A company which is printing genetic material on silicon chips [Twist Bioscience] 

(16:39): What could happen if a Gene-drive goes wrong? 

(19:02): Are we changing the pace of human evolution? 

(22:59): How policy & regulation will play a BIG part in the development of SynBio 

(25:45): Scientists vs Policymakers | The Great Divide 

(29:15): Is there any Act governing Synthetic Biology? 

(31:55): TALKING ABOUT COCKROACH MILK [Yes, you heard that right] 

(33:28): What’s brewing in India when it comes to Synthetic Biology? 

(40:03): Book recommendations to learn more about this space 

You can read Sachin’s Foresight paper on Synthetic Biology - here