Alan Goldstein

Fierer Chair of Molecular Cell Biology, Alfred University

Dr. Alan Goldstein is Professor of Biomaterials, Fierer Chair of Molecular Cell Biology, and Biomedical Materials Engineering and Science Program Chair at Alfred University. He earned a B.Sc. in Agronomy at New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. in Genetics at University of Arizona.

His essay "Nature vs. Nanoengineering: Rebuilding our world one atom at a time" won a 2003 Shell-Economist Prize and remains the primary reference in the nascent field of nanobioethics. He was the first person to use the term "Breaking The Carbon Barrier" to identify the future moment when humanity successfully engineers the first nonbiological life form. This concept was formally introduced and defined during a debate with Reason Magazine's science correspondent Ronald Bailey at the Foresight 'Vision Weekend' component of the 13th Foresight Conference on Advanced Nanotechnology.

Dr. Goldstein proposed the prize due to the current lack of attention being given to this important area. He recognizes that these lifeforms could be extremely dangerous, leading to the destruction of portions of the ecosystem or even humanity itself. He elaborated on these beliefs in an interview with Lifeboat Foundation Fundraiser Michael Anissimov.

He currently is writing a book on the topic of synthetic life, organisms he calls animats. He is a member of the Lifeboat Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board and involved in the non-profit organization's A-Prize, given to the first person who creates an artificial life form that can sustain itself in the environment, self-replicate, and yet does not depend entirely on DNA or RNA for design storage.

video


San Francisco/unscripted Interview


audio

NeoFiles podcast, Let's Get This Non-Biological Life Form Party Started, hosted by RU Sirius