SynBioWatch

Category: Hotspots

  • Bad-Boy Scientism

    Bad-Boy Scientism

    by Pete Shanks (Originally appeared on HuffPo.) Austen Heinz of Cambrian Genomics has been trolling hard lately, as blogger Josh Cunningham notes. That is, he’s been spouting provocative opinions to get attention. And it seems to be working, from his point of view. Not only was Heinz involved in the vagina bio-hack nonsense, but he told the Wall Street Journal last June, […]

  • Biosafety by the Bay: Becky McClain & Ed Hammond – Wednesday, October 16, 2013 7:30 pm PST

    Biosafety by the Bay: Becky McClain & Ed Hammond – Wednesday, October 16, 2013 7:30 pm PST

    East Bay Conversations in Berkeley and streaming online A video of this event will be posted soon. Biotech whistleblower, Becky McClain, and international lab safety expert Ed Hammond talk with Movement Generation’s Gopal Dayaneni about the biolabs targeted for siting throughout the so-called “East Bay Green Corridor,” biolab worker and community safety, and biosecurity. Brower […]

  • Vandana Shiva – September 11, 7:30 pm PST

    Vandana Shiva – September 11, 7:30 pm PST

    Seeding Labs, Ceding Seeds: Regional And Global Impacts Of The Biotech Bonanza Brower Center’s Goldman Theater  – 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley View the video of the event! Vandana Shiva, PhD in conversation with Gopal Dayaneni, of Movement Generation: Justice and Ecology Project. World renowned environmental philosopher and activist Vandana Shiva illuminates the corporate assault on […]

  • Richmond Neighborhood Council’s Recommends Mitigations to the LBNL Proposal

    PDF version of this document: LBNL – RANC Recommended Mitigations The Lawrence Berkeley “National” Lab (LBNL) in partnership with the Department of Energy plan to build a high profile, billion-dollar laboratory on Richmond’s South Shoreline. While public pronouncements tell us the lab will focus on ‘green’ energy research, the reality of it is much more […]

  • East Bay Conversations: The Promises and Perils of Biotechnology

    East Bay Conversations: The Promises and Perils of Biotechnology

    East Bay Conversations: The Promises and Perils of Synthetic Biology is a series of public lectures beginning March 21 at the David Brower Center in Berkeley to give in-depth attention to the many faces and facets of the current state of biotechnology. From attempts to revolutionize the energy sector, to dreams of human perfection, to creating modular molecules for endless cultural and agricultural applications, the promises of synthetic biology are profoundly alluring — but the perils are a potential Pandora’s box of private patents, pandemics and plagues.

  • LBNL opens comment period for Richmond Bay Campus: Jan 4-Feb 4

    While this announcement in the Richmond Confidential suggests that Bay Area residents might want to consider wildlife and birds, noise pollution and new traffic as they weigh in on the proposed second campus of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, here at synbiowatch, we’re quite a bit more concerned about bio-hazardous material, leakage of artificial organisms, worker safety, and […]

  • Bay Area Alert!: LBNL opens comment period for Richmond Bay Campus: Jan 4-Feb 4

    Bay Area Alert!: LBNL opens comment period for Richmond Bay Campus: Jan 4-Feb 4

    LBNL has opened comment period for Richmond Bay Campus: Jan 4-Feb 4. Read and download the notice of preparation, here : http://richmondbaycampus.lbl.gov/assets/docs/env/RBC_LRDP_EIR_NOP.pdf NOTE: A public scoping meeting for the Environmental Impact Review will be held from 7:00-9:00 PM on January 23, 2013 at the Richmond City Council Chambers, 403 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond. The US Department of […]

  • Berkeley Fire douses 2-alarm blaze at Potter Street lab

    Note: We post this article about a fire at a biolab in West Berkeley because it  serves as a reminder of the fallibility of human engineering. While such labs may be considered safe under ‘normal’ conditions, normal conditions are increasingly rare in this, the Age of Disasters. — Synbiowatch Cross-posted from Berkeleyside Berkeley firefighters put out […]

  • Richmond leaders to call on Chevron to join Berkeley lab in investing in city’s shoreline district

    By Robert Rogers, Contra Costa Times, Cross-posted from the San Jose Mercury-News   RICHMOND — Developers and business leaders have exhorted Chevron to expand operations in the city’s Marina Bay district, and now elected officials are set to join the chorus.   The City Council is expected on Tuesday to pass a resolution urging its largest taxpayer to […]

  • Important talk: Questioning the Green Agenda

    For local readers, here’s an important event coming up next week. See you there!