Hillhacks

A Talk by Ujjwal Thaakar, at Main Conference

Biohacking is a new and fascinating field which explores biology the same way computer hackers of yesteryears explored computing. This talk explains what biohacking is, what are the major issues and concerns surrounding it and why you should care.

Biohacking, specifically the field of Synthetic Biology is something that has recently hit the world. While genetic engineering has existed for a good part of the last four decades, it has only recently started to fall under the purview of citizen scientists. Why don't enough people especially in India know about it? Is it right to fiddle with Biology? These are some of the questions I'll introduce in my talk along with the technology. I will also try and explain why I think organic materials is the next revolution in the homo sapiens sapiens civilisation.

I talk about the fascinating world of Biohacking, synthetic biology and my journey. I also talk about leading research and issues surrounding the subject and why no one in India seems to know about it! At the end I encourage people to pursue this field and explain why it is of paramount importance to the survival of our species and planet.

I'm a 22 year old computer programmer and synthetic biology enthusiast. I have a fascination with understanding the true nature of the natural, human and spiritual world. I've been playing around with computers for 6 years and biohacking with 2 years now. Besides this I'm a budding entrepreneur and right now head the innovation labs at Disney India. I am recently also developed keen interest in languages, travelling and food. Also I love to play football and look forward to doing that in Dharmashala