The Fuzzy Regulations Surrounding DIY Synthetic Biology

Josiah Zayner is the kind of citizen scientist whom journalists like to write about. He left his job as a NASA biologist to start his own company, the Odin, to sell DIY bio products, like a kit for beginners to learn how to genetically modify bacteria and a more specialized CRISPR kit. In photos, he sports piercings and dyed hair. And, more importantly, he makes glow-in-the-dark beer.

In early December, Zayner’s company started selling $160 kits for people to make their own glow-in-the-dark beer using a gene from a jellyfish. The Odin aimed to make genetic engineering an affordable part of everyday life. “We see a future in which people are genetically designing the plants they use in their garden, eating yogurt that contains a custom bacterial strain they modified or even someday brewing using an engineered yeast strain,” the website reads.

osiah Zayner is the kind of citizen scientist whom journalists like to write about. He left his job as a NASA biologist to start his own company, the Odin, to sell DIY bio products, like a ...