WEBVTT

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>> Sally: Dude!

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No running in the laboratory.

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>> Dude: Sorry Sally, but have
you heard about this competition?

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It's called iGEM and I think my bacterial
bubble could totally win this year.

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>> Sally: I thought you were
done with bacterial bubbles.

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What do you know about iGEM?

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>> Dude: Uh, not much, except that there's
going to be a bunch of losers and me.

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>> Sally: I don't think you understand
the nature of this competition.

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iGEM, the International Genetically
Engineered Machine Competition,

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is a way to get young scientists and engineers
working together to engineer biological systems.

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>> Dude: Working together?

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Where's the competitive spirit in that?

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The Dude works alone.

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That way, the Dude gets all the credit.

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>> Sally: You need to be a member of a team to
join iGEM, and you need a professor to lead it.

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>> Dude: But I heard it was
a student competition?

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>> Sally: Well, yes.

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The competition started in 2004 based on an
undergraduate class developed at MIT in 2003

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for their short winter session, and it
continues to be an undergraduate experience.

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But not without guidance and support.

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Last year there were more than thirty teams
who competed, from all over the world.

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>> Dude: So that's my competition?

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That's a lot of people.

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>> Sally: A lot of people,
all asking the same question.

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"Can simple biological systems
be built from standard,

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interchangeable parts and
operate in living cells?

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Or is biology simply too complicated
to be engineered in this way?"

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What do you think?

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>> Dude: Biology's not too complicated for me!

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The goals of this competition are to enable
systematic engineering of biology, promote open

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and transparent development of
tools for engineering biology,

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and help construct a society that can
productively apply biological technology.

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OK, I've got a lot of work ahead of me.

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If we're not going to use my
bubble idea, what else is possible?

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>> Sally: Maybe a better question
would be what isn't possible.

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>> Dude: Ok, so first off: What should
our standard, interchangeable part be?

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Actually, what parts exist?

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Do we have to make those?

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>> Sally: You'll probably need
more than one but the Registry

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of Standard Biological Parts is a great
resource with lots of parts already designed.

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And if we make parts of our own,
we should add them to the Registry

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in case other teams can use them too.

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>> Dude: And help the other teams?

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What kind of competition is that?

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Or is that how so many teams got cool projects
going last year?: Pleasant smelling bacteria,

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a bacterial night-light, a
DNA drug delivery system.

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I heard one team even made
up bacterial freeze tag!

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To beat those, we should get started right now!

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>> Sally: Alright well let's brainstorm for a
little while before I have to get back to work.

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How does that sound?

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>> Dude: Great!

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Can you show me this Registry?

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Maybe we can find some good parts to use!

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>> Sally: Good idea, Dude.

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Let's start there.