The online magazine io9 has issued a create the most interesting new lifeform contest:

There are two categories:

Category One: BioBricks Lifeform
"Using the BioBricks registry of standard biological parts, propose a lifeform design that you could conceivably create in a lab. Must include a complete description of how you would make the lifeform, what it would do, and what possible hazards might be involved in creating it... "

Category Two: General Synthetic Lifeform
"This lifeform can be more creative. Propose a scientifically justifiable lifeform, which could conceivably be created using current technology. Explain how you would create it, what it would do, and hazards involved..."

Link is here.

Drew Endy is on the panel of Judges. One of these days a garage biohacker is going to win this kind of competition.

I like this

- Splicer

I am really looking forward to this as well. I only wish I had the technical proficiency to compete for the category one of the contest, but as things are right now I guess I should be content with trying my luck in category two.

Synthetic biology really need a comprehensive set of minimal lab protocols and all-in-one tutorials...

This reminds me, is anyone from the forum participating in either category one or two of the contest?

I gave it some thought and it's not trivial to come up with a really good entry. It would have been a category 2 entry for me too. I noticed there seems to be a family/category of applications where the objective is to report the presence/absence of some compound so I was thinking along those lines. It's an interesting exercise to think about what could be built. I'm curious to see what people come up with.

-Splicer

THC strawberries?

(joke)

-dR

The winners were announced two weeks ago .

Well

The quality of the entries seems to have been quite high, their documentation are published on the site.

The picture in the page below is the closet lab of the first runner up in the Biobricks category:



- Splicer

Those were interesting papers. I was most interested in the one on Software Controlled organisms. Mabye next year we could submit an entry.

You fired up my imagination there. That would be an interesting endeavour. It's the type of competition where a geographically spread group of could create an entry through forums, mail, skype and irc. It would be interesting, and a great learning experience.

-Splicer

Ha, I just came across this article that reminded me of your post. I'm pretty sure this story is fake, but it was a fun read. Got me thinking too...

hehe

It's one of those things

- Splicer