The New York Times, all the news that's fit to print, ends its daily COVID data collection.

Two new studies show the long-range consequences of the pandemic, a baby boom, and a walking

recession.

The Biden administration drops a major economic report detailing the ways that the federal

government is spurring the climate crisis.

This is America to Second.

I'm your host, Dr. Abdubal Alseid.

Today, we're talking about synthetic biology.

The idea that humanity has developed molecular tools that can, with more precision than ever

before, start to tackle health problems that have plagued us for eons.

These approaches certainly offer tremendous promise, but they also come with real perils.

First, the promise.

Synthetic biology can fundamentally reshape the landscape for our health.

In fact, it already has.

Let's go back to COVID-19.

Sorry, but it's endlessly relevant.

The COVID-19 vaccines, as politicized as they've become, were an absolute scientific miracle.

Make no mistake about it.

You have this awful, extremely transmissible, deadly virus spreading like gangbusters across

an increasingly globalized world.

First China, then Italy, then every major city in Europe, then Seattle, the New York, people

are filling up hospitals, dying in their homes, filling up morx.

...