I came across an interesting article discussing the dangers of amateur genetic engineers.
"A group of so-called “bio-hackers” is setting up a community
laboratory called DIYbio in Cambridge, MA. They want to provide
publicly available lab space to budding amateur bio-engineers that need
equipment and experiment space for their projects. The project was
co-founded by Mackenzie Cowell, a young man of 24 who was a biology
major in college. Mackenzie says, “We should try to make science more
sexy and more fun and more like a game.” At the same time, he says that
amateurs will probably pursue serious work such as new vaccines and
super-efficient biofuels, as well as less mainstream projects, like
tattoos that glow in the dark, according to an AP article.
Proponents of amateur genetic research point out the large number of
discoveries that have been made by amateur scientists, outside of
“normal” research channels. Detractors say that such work by
non-professionals could release a plague into society, or become the
dupes of terrorists, and that such work could cause diseases or
irreversible environmental damage."
Read more: http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2008/12/26/are-amateur-genetic-engineers-dangerous/
DIYBio website: http://diybio.org/
