What is Synthetic Biology?

From Biohack

Synthetic biology is the art and engineering of life itself, from the 'essence' and chemicals of life all the way up to the large-scale structure of societies and different ways of organizing matter and energy in the biosphere. Synbio is the set of techniques and tools that allows us to make new molecules of life, to edit the proteins that build the structure and function of living machinery. Many technologies are closely related such as pharmaceuticals, medicine synthesis, biotech, brain implants, and so on. With the release of tools and information to the public on how to do synbio in their own homes, people can begin to fight off diseases, aging and death on their own time. There are a number of emerging leaders in this field such as Drew Endy, a professor of Bioengineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who are trying to build a basis upon which to direct the beginnings of synthetic biology by laying the groundwork for standardization of these parts as illustrated in his presentation on biohacking and synthetic biology (see also biobricks, the BioBrick Foundation, and Endy's sites parts.mit.edu and OpenWetWare).