Tara Shirvani, born in Vienna, publishes at the British University of Oxford on the future without environmental crises. She compares her discipline to playing Lego. In her new book “Plastic Eaters and Turbo Trees,” the scientist reports on synthetic biology in a humorous and simple way. A research department that could be our lifesaver.
“crown”: “How we save the climate, get the garbage out of the sea and get everything else done brilliantly” is your subtitle. That sounds almost too good to be true.
Shirvani Country: It was also important to me that my book was a message of hope. Technology has already made so much progress in medicine. This is also possible for our environment.
Do we still have time to save our world from global warming?
We have little time to reach the Paris climate agreement with 1.5 degrees. But with synthetic biology, we can stop global warming and save the world from a plastic plague.
According to your book, synthetic biology is our lifesaver. But what exactly can we imagine?
I like to compare this discipline with playing Lego. Children can build houses with building blocks. In the lab, we can do just that with cells. Only we don’t build houses, but cement, plastic eaters and so on. These small cells are the factory of the future.
Are there already areas where synthetic biology is being applied?
Meat substitutes, for example. But the large fashion chain H&M also works with a company that makes fabrics from recycled CO2. The luxury brand Hermes produces synthetic leather together with a partner. One of the most expensive bags on the market is made from mushrooms. Thanks to this production, the CO2 value can be reduced by up to 20 percent and costs are 80 percent lower. And best of all, this type of leather is of a much higher quality than conventional leather. A win-win situation. Car manufacturers also often rely on synthetic products from the laboratory.
You are currently working in the UK and now want to spread your knowledge to other European countries. Are you critical of synthetic biology?
The US has pledged $280 billion to this industry over the next 20 years. In China, the budget is even four times as high. This technology will change our daily lives as the computer did more than 70 years ago.
Source: Krone
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