Portension

Next Door Neighbour Has an Experimental Genetics Lab in Basement

DIY Bio-hacking: Citizen scientists set up their own gene labs: are they a danger to us all? http://tr.im/jeYa

The 31-year-old ex-computer programmer and now biohacker is working on modifying jellyfish genes and adding them to yoghurt to detect the toxic chemical melamine, which was found in baby milk in China last year after causing a number of deaths, and kidney damage to thousands of infants.

Patterson is just one of dozens of citizen scientists setting up their own gene laboratories in the hope of inventing new and useful organisms. A community is evolving to take advantage of low-cost, off-the-shelf genetic parts and increasing knowledge in biological engineering.