Changing The Code

The digitisation of nature presents huge opportunities, and some risks.

- Simon Carpenter

The field of bio-engineering is not new, despite its recent prominence: humans have been domesticating and selectively breeding animals since as far back as 12,000 BC. More recently, advances in technology have enabled genetic modification and bio-engineering at an unprecedented scale.

From DNA sequencing to gene editing, the human ability to adapt and engineer nature has grown exponentially, creating a promise of a healthier, more predictable natural world. This has created new opportunities to solve prevailing medical and biological challenges: from curing cancer to addressing mental health issues, from developing new drought-resistant crops to eradicating common diseases such as malaria, the field of bio-engineering is undoubtedly one of the shining lights of our near future.

However, this is not without its risks. Even in something as simple as developing antibiotics, humans have unwittingly created potentially larger problems, such as drug-resistant superbugs.

The rise of the superbugs