The German governmentis none too pleased with [how easily people can conduct gene editing experiments outside of labs thanks to advances in science][Its] consumer protection office [recently]issued a statement: Any science enthusiast doing genetic engineering outside of a licensed facility, it wrote, might face a fine of 50,000 or up to three years in prison. <\/p>\n
The statement sent a wave of shock through the DIY bio community. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The law behind the German DIY bio crackdown isnt new. The government was simply reminding so-called biohackers of a long-existing law that forbids genetic engineering experiments outside of laboratories supervised and licensed by the state. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Im pretty sure that laws will prohibit me from continuing my research at a later state, said Bruno Lederer, a German biohacker who hopes that loopholes in the law will allow his work to continue for now. I think its a shame that Id have to do illegal things in order to do independent research. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Community biology labsshouldnt have an issue getting licensed. But not every DIY scientist lives near or has the resources to join a community lab. If the DIY bio movement is about making science accessible to those outside the Ivory Tower of academia, the German governments statement represents a serious roadblock. <\/p>\n
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog\/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post:Germany Is Threatening Biohackers With Prison <\/p>\n
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The rest is here: <\/p>\n
Biohacker crackdown? Germany threatens gene-editing hobbyists with fines, jail - Genetic Literacy Project<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The German governmentis none too pleased with [how easily people can conduct gene editing experiments outside of labs thanks to advances in science][Its] consumer protection office [recently]issued a statement: Any science enthusiast doing genetic engineering outside of a licensed facility, it wrote, might face a fine of 50,000 or up to three years in prison. The statement sent a wave of shock through the DIY bio community. The law behind the German DIY bio crackdown isnt new Continue reading