We could never imagine life without technology. Artisans shaped the first stone tools in the long age before words. Bards told of ancient heroes in a world already imbued with metallurgy and fermentation. So technology became the crucible of story, and story the soul of invention.
Life itself is now our technology. We are beginning to unravel life’s layered codes, from genetic sequence to metabolic milieu. The first domesticated crops heralded synthetic proteins and cells, engineered for exquisite sensing and reacting. Artificial intelligence promises further acceleration. These advances beckon us to a world completely remade: agriculture and manufacturing, energy and medicine, all discovered and created by biology. In the microscopic, we may find solutions to behemoths.
The people closest to the transformation are bench scientists, supported by hackers, financiers, artists, and entrepreneurs. They are sharing the earliest draft of the new epic.
Signal is the voice of next generation biotech leaders. Led by an all-scientist editorial team, we showcase the human story of biotechnology and how it will change life as we know it. Our contributors will feature in exceptional articles, films, and podcasts.
Although we launch today, we have spent years nurturing this movement through Nucleate, our nonprofit. We spawned communities of biotechnologists around the world, with participants from more than 120 institutions. Nucleate’s donor-supported programs are removing barriers to innovation and helping founders concentrate on building breakthroughs. Please reach out to support our work or share your story.
We hope you’ll join us in amplifying the signal.
Michael Retchin
Co-Founder
With gratitude to Sam Avina, Poonam Chitale, Eric Dai, Ursule Demaël, Jei Diwakar, Sam Kessel, Jingyi Liu, Dylan Neel, and Emmanuella Nnuji-John.