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Genetically Engineered Yeast Makes It Possible To Brew Morphine

Posted by samzenpus on from the let-it-rise dept.

PvtVoid writes: The New York times reports that newly developed yeast strains will soon make it possible to create morphine from fermentation of sugar. While no one has claimed to make morphine in lab from scratch yet, concerns are already being raised about potential abuse. According to the Times article: "This rapid progress in synthetic biology has set off a debate about how — and whether — to regulate it. Dr. Oye and other experts said this week in a commentary in Nature Chemical Biology that drug-regulatory authorities are ill prepared to control a process that will benefit the heroin trade much more than the prescription painkiller industry. The world should take steps to head that off, they argue, by locking up the bioengineered yeast strains and restricting access to the DNA that would let drug cartels reproduce them.

7 of 333 comments (clear)

  1. Taliban tally... by harvey+the+nerd · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...in other news, so many Taliban are going to divorce their 3rd and 4th wives due to low opium sales.

  2. Re:Sudafed by countSudoku() · · Score: 5, Funny

    We KNOW what your up too, Pablo Escapebar! The cops are on their way to your drug lab to confiscate your chems, inhalers, and any other paraphernalia like shaving razor replacement packs and Q-tips. The jig is UP!

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    This is the NSA, we're gonna geet U h@x0r5! Also, what is a h@x0r5?
  3. Why fight it? by bistromath007 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Let's just make opiates the opiate of the masses. They're way more effective than what we've been using instead.

  4. Re: Reshape prohibition by HornWumpus · · Score: 4, Funny

    Most people still die in hospitals. Avoid them if you can.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  5. Re:the inevitable by BronsCon · · Score: 3, Funny

    Damn.

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    APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  6. Re:Sudafed by drkoemans · · Score: 3, Funny

    Slashdot needs to change it's subheading to be a bit more inclusive. News for nerds, pedantry, advertisements, occasionally stuff that matters... in that order.

  7. Re: Sudafed by guruevi · · Score: 4, Funny

    Budweiser/Miller make beer? With yeast? I always thought they made it with water flavored with leftover hops from a real brewery.

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