In a new video, three of the authors of A New Biology for the 21st Century discuss how biology may hold the key to facing some of the world's most pressing challenges.
Now more than ever, biology has the potential to contribute practical solutions to many of the major challenges confronting the United States and the world. This National Research Council report recommends that a "New Biology" approach -- one that depends on greater integration within biology, and closer collaboration with physical, computational, and earth scientists, mathematicians and engineers -- be used to find solutions to four key societal needs: sustainable food production, ecosystem restoration, optimized biofuel production, and improvement in human health. To support the emerging New Biology, the report recommends the U.S. implements a National New Biology Initiative to foster innovation in technology, tools and infrastructure that will advance biological research and also empower many other fields of study.
