Abstract
Landfill sites might one day be able to be mined for valuable metals using genetically engineered slugs or repurposed microorganisms, scientists pressing for the commercialisation of synthetic biology say. Dr John Collins, commercial director of UK research centre SynbiClTE, believes revolutionary cell technology called Crispr-Cas9 could herald the creation of synthetic biological systems or `biocatalysts' to digest waste and convert it into useful products. Crispr-Cas9, described as the most precise and versatile method for genome editing ever developed, is already being used to forge new biomedical and pharmaceutical tools. The process is opposed by some who believe it will amount to scientists `playing God'. Genetic engineering could allow scientists to create new lifeforms capable of retrieving materials buried deep within waste sites.
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