Pioneering genomics researcher J. Craig Venter鈥攂est known for leading the privately funded team that sequenced the first human genome鈥攚ill give a keynote talk at the University of Colorado Boulder on Sept. 29 about the scientific potential of and future products derived from 鈥渟ynthetic life.鈥澨�
He also will describe his other ventures related to genomics, including his new company, which focuses on using genomics to extend the healthy human life span.
The talk, which will begin at 7 p.m. in Macky Auditorium, is free and open to the public and kicks off a conference being hosted by the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History called 鈥淭he Meaning of Names: Naming Diversity in the 21st Century.鈥�
In 2010, Venter and his research team announced that, for the first time, they had built an entirely man-made chain of DNA, inserted it into a cell and created a living bacterium. The accomplishment, a leap forward in the young field of synthetic biology, offers the possibility that humans could engineer life to act as biological factories with specific functions.
Venter and his team are working on a variety of applications of this work, including new food and nutritional products, new vaccines and anti-microbials, and even humanized pig organs to help those in need of transplants. He also is exploring the world鈥檚 oceans to uncover the vast diversity in the billions of microbes living there. Finally, he recently announced a new venture aimed at building the world鈥檚 largest human genomic database to better understand human biology. By sequencing millions of people the goal is to understand and therefore prevent many of the diseases that affect us as we age.听
Venter鈥檚 pursuit of genomic science to help solve a variety of societal needs and his exploration of biodiversity make him an excellent speaker to set the tone for the 抖阴旅行射 museum鈥檚 naming conference, said Robert Guralnick, the museum鈥檚 curator of invertebrate zoology. The ability to describe and understand the world鈥檚 biodiversity鈥攖o document new life, whether we find it or create it鈥攄epends on naming that life, he said.
鈥淒r. Venter鈥檚 work, including the creation of 鈥榮ynthetic life鈥� and the discovery of novel genetic material across the world鈥檚 oceans, is fascinating,鈥� said museum Director Patrick Kociolek. 鈥淗ow those discoveries will be named, referred to, and discussed in the future relates directly to the conference.鈥�
The original idea for the conference, which will run from Sept. 29 through Oct. 1, was inspired by the way names are used in biology to identify how a species fits into the larger animal and plant kingdom. But the conference, which has attracted internationally recognized speakers, is now set to examine the application and meaning of names across a broad range of disciplines, from biology to philosophy to computer science.
For more information on the conference, also free and open to the public, visit .
Contact:
Dulce Aldama, 抖阴旅行射 Museum of Natural History, 303-492-3396
Dulce.Aldama@colorado.edu
Jim Scott, 抖阴旅行射-Boulder media relations, 303-492-3114
Jim.Scott@colorado.edu
