What do advanced medicines, renewable fuels, vegan burgers, smart fabrics, petroleum-free plastics, and cruelty-free cosmetics have in common? They're all produced with specially engineered microbes! Yep, microbes. 

In episode three, we explore the fields of science making this 21st century industrial revolution possible: synthetic biology and biomanufacturing.

Our guests discuss how humans first developed the tools and knowledge to harness the natural capabilities of bacteria and yeast, and chat about where this rapidly accelerating industry could go next. (Hello painless vaccines and eco-friendly air travel!)

Featuring:

Jay Keasling, CEO of the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI),  senior scientist at Berkeley Lab, and  professor of both Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Bioengineering at UC Berkeley. Jay is also the Philomathia Chair in Alternative Energy at UC Berkeley, and cofounder of the biotech company Amyris.

and

Deepika Awasthi, a project scientist in Berkeley Lab's Biological Systems and Engineering Division and an affiliate at JBEI.

Produced and hosted by Aliyah Kovner