How to destroy the world using Python and a synthetic virus

Abstract

Would you believe us if we told you that we could create a potentially dangerous virus using Python? This is theoretically possible thanks to synthetic biology, the field of biotechnology that studies how to create and modify organisms. This discipline is used, for example, to genetically modify bacteria to produce the insulin that diabetics will later use. Obviously, such a powerful tool has its possible evil side, which is what we will explore in this talk. After a little biology and genetics class, we will explain a practical example of how to use synthetic biology through a Python script to modify an existing virus and turn it into a deadly one. Thus, you as an attendee will be able to see the potential of this field and how Python can make it easier, not only in the example of the evil virus, but also in other healthcare applications.

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