Outer space
Content
Researchers: Emma Frow, Deborah Scott and Valentina Marcheselli
Space synthetic biology aims to apply the tools and approaches of synthetic biology to outer space science and exploration. As this new field interacts with the legal and political contexts of outer space, we ask: what ways of being in and relating with outer space could result from the use of synthetic biology tools? What kinds of institutions, what sorts of legal structures, and what goals for a presence in outer space are embedded in these current and proposed research projects? And how might being a part of the physical, political, and social spaces created by old and new actors, from NASA to SpaceX, influence synthetic biology?
Recent publications
Frow, E.K. (2017) ‘Negotiating the values of space exploration.’ In Visions, Ventures, Escape Velocities: A Collection of Space Futures, eds E. Finn & J. Eschrich. Center for Science and the Imagination, Arizona State University, pp.253-259.
Blog posts
Scott, Deborah (2016). “Biosafety on earth and beyond - planetary protection policies, biotechnology and space synthetic biology.” SynthSys Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology blog. 6 October 2016.