Filed under: Technology & Society
Artificial intelligence, data, nanotechnology and converging technologies – and how societies decide what to do with them.
Bring back technology assessment
Congress closed its technology office in 1995. AI and synthetic biology make the case for public, independent foresight stronger than ever.
Geeks start the week: what synthetic biology's 2007 promises delivered
The first day of SB3.0 in 2007 was a rush of fast technical talks. Nearly nineteen years later, which of those tools and promises came true?
Farm data: who owns what your tractor knows?
Yield monitors, telematics and farm apps collect huge amounts of data. Who can use it, what the repair fight is about, and what to ask before signing.
From Hong Kong to Tianjin: synthetic biology's turn to Asia
In 2008 synthetic biology held its first big congress in Asia. Since then China and its neighbors have made the field a pillar of industrial policy.
The cool, the concerned and everyone else: public voice in synthetic biology
Early synthetic biology split into enthusiasts and critics. Most people were in neither camp. What two decades of asking the public has taught.
Nanomaterials in food and packaging: what's there, what's regulated, what nobody knows
From the E171 ban to nanosilver containers: where engineered nanoparticles meet food, how rules differ by country, and which questions remain open.
Lab life 3.0: synthetic biology's long experiment in governing itself
In 2006 synthetic biologists offered to police themselves. Eighteen years later, what has self-governance delivered, and what did it leave out?
Vertical farming, fifteen years on: what the towers actually grew
In 2009 the 'farmscraper' promised to lift farming into city towers. Fifteen years and several bankruptcies later, what did indoor farms grow?
