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InnovatioN Economy

Researchers making microbes that can do the dirty work

By Scott Kirsner

 |   

  January 29, 2012

On the edge of Boston Harbor, just a short walk from where Harpoon Brewery harnesses the power of yeast to produce tasty beverages, researchers are designing new kinds of micro-organisms that might one day scrub waste water clean, crank out fuel for our cars, or keep hospital equipment perfectly sterile. While making beer can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia, this new field - often called synthetic biology or engineered biology - belongs to the 21st century.

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