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Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics pp 1–10Cite as

Synthetic Biology and Biofuels

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Synonyms

Biodiesel; Biogas; Biological engineering; Biomass; Crop fuel; Energy; Genetic engineering; Genetically modified; GM; Green energy; Renewable; Renewable energy

Introduction

Synthetic biology is a field of research that concentrates on the design, construction, and modification of new biomolecular parts and metabolic pathways using engineering techniques and computational models. By employing knowledge of operational pathways from engineering and mathematics such as circuits, oscillators, and digital logic gates, it uses these to understand, model, rewire, and reprogram biological networks and modules. Standard biological parts with known functions are catalogued in a number of registries (e.g., Massachusetts Institute of Technology Registry of Standard Biological Parts). Biological parts can then be selected from the catalogue and assembled in a variety of combinations to construct a system or pathway in a microbe. Through the innovative reengineering of biological circuits...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy and Religion, Missouri Western State University, 4525 Downs Drive, Saint Joseph, MO, 64507, USA

    Dr. Catherine Kendig

Authors
  1. Dr. Catherine Kendig
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Correspondence to Catherine Kendig .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Michigan State University Dept. Philosophy, East Lansing, Michigan, USA

    Paul B. Thompson

  2. University of North Texas Dept. Philosophy & Religion Studies, Denton, Texas, USA

    David M. Kaplan

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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Kendig, C. (2013). Synthetic Biology and Biofuels. In: Thompson, P., Kaplan, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6167-4_124-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6167-4_124-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6167-4

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