Nature

Time to settle the synthetic controversy

By Volker ter Meulen

EASAC is the affiliated network for Europe of IAP-The global network of science academies. Prof. Volker ter Meulen – former President of EASAC and current Co-Chair of IAP – was chairman of the EASAC working group on Synthetic Biology in 2011.

Synthetic biology is defined as the deliberate design and construction of customized biological and biochemical systems to perform new or improved functions. While the field is in its infancy, it is already producing results that may have far-reaching implications in fields such as biomedicine, agriculture, land and water decontamination - even nano-machines and novel approaches to information processing.

In parallel with a Statement on Synthetic Biology by IAP - the global network of science academies, Nature published a "World View" commentary on synthetic biology, written by IAP co-chair Volker ter Meulen, on 7 May 2014.

• ter Meulen, Volker. "Time to settle the synthetic controversy". Nature 509.135    (7 May 2014): 1.

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