

Wohlsen did a great job of discussing what DIY science is and why it is important. Historically, the roots of DIY science can be found in people like Edward Jenner, who inoculated Wohlsen did a great job of discussing what DIY science is and why it is important. Historically, the roots of DIY science can be found in people like Edward Jenner, who inoculated his gardener's son with cowpox to test its efficacy against smallpox and Newton, who poked himself in the eye to better understand optics . Today, the DIY science movement serves to democratize science, allowing people outside of research institutes and universities to take on projects based on their own interests rather than based on the decisions of funding bodies. As a result, the movement could transform science, taking some power away from the big companies that set steep prices for lab equipment.



One major goal of the DIY science movement is to



One major goal of the DIY science movement is to MacGyer common lab equipment to make it accessible (read: cheap) to everyone. Some of these hacks could serve researchers that aren't lucky enough be in a well-funded lab. Take the example of the PCR machine , the biology lab workhorse that helps researchers copy and manipulate DNA (prices start at $3000). A Google search for " DIY PCR machines " reveals many designs that start at $100, making PCR available to more people. Thus, many of the projects in DIY biology can benefit the developing world because they are design to cut costs and to make it possible to run experiments in virtually any environment. One element that seems to be common in every story about DIY biology is the comparison with the computer hacking movement. People turning spare rooms and garages into laboratories for their side projects does have similarities with the origin stories of companies like HP and Apple. The resemblance goes further: DNA is the code of life and, like computer hackers, people in the DIY bio movement believe that this code should be open source and not limited only to the scientists who have grant money or research labs. Labeling DIY scientists as "hackers" can create a negative impression; when the general public hears of a hacker doing genetic modification in their garage, there can be a tendency to overreact. The worst case was seen with Steve Kurtz , an artist that used the tools of DIY biology as part of his palette. In 2004, Kurtz was arrested on suspicion of bio-terrorism after his wife died of an unrelated heart attack. (There is also an interesting documentary about the case called Strange Culture .)