A complex today and an unpredictable tomorrow
For teenagers who want to understand
Special Life Science Class

The [Teenagers Running for Science] series, which clearly covers the minimum scientific issues that teenagers need to know in one volume, has been published as part of the book 『Teenagers Running for Science: Life Science』.
The "Teenagers Running Science" series, which concisely explains only the essential points while providing a balanced perspective and rich food for thought, tightly weaves together the hottest scientific issues of today, warp and weft, and unfolds them.
The book is full of essential and interesting questions and answers, such as, “Is it really possible to live an amazing life without aging or getting sick?” “Can humans arbitrarily change the genetic rules of DNA, the blueprint of life?” “Will genetic scissors and artificial life synthesis break down the boundary between humans and gods?” “What will future humans eat in an era of food shortages brought on by climate crisis and war?” “Will there be good viruses in the era of evolving infectious diseases?” “How were biochips, the laboratory in the palm of your hand, created?”
Park Jae-yong, a leading science writer, presents a comprehensive and engaging overview of hot topics in life sciences, guiding young readers to find the right direction and solutions for future society and bioethics.

Editing the genome of an unborn child also means being able to know the child's entire genome.
Of course, genes don't entirely determine a child's future, but they can have a significant impact.
This means that it is theoretically possible to create a fertilized egg using the best sperm and egg by identifying the genetic makeup of the sperm and egg.
Is it truly right to choose a child's genes in this way? This question deserves consideration not only from an ethical standpoint, but also from a philosophical and religious perspective.
---From "How would you design the genes of a baby to be born?"

Craig Venter's team attempted to create Shin 1.0 by inscribing the phrase 'What I can't create, I do not understand.' into the base sequence.
This is a quote from the American modern physicist Richard Feynman, meaning, "If you can't make it, you don't understand it."
If you can't create life, then you don't truly understand life.
We believe that synthetic biology can lead to a deeper understanding of life.
---From "Is it really permissible for humans to create new life?"

Future food problems are intertwined with issues such as food shortages due to population growth, increasing meat consumption in developing countries, and the animal rights and climate crisis sacrificed to factory farming.
Life science won't be able to solve all of this.
There are some areas that require social consensus, and others that need to be resolved through economic policy.
On the one hand, this kind of problem awareness also promotes the development of biotechnology.
As the number of people who choose to eat vegetarian instead of meat due to personal preference or ethical judgment increases, the alternative meat market has grown to meet the demand, playing an important role in technological development.
---From "Climate Crisis, Environmental Pollution, Food Shortage! What Will We Eat?"

Let's consider a situation where someone calls 119 to report that there is poison in Cheonggyecheon.
We need to immediately check if toxic substances have spread on site and what they are, but previously, we had to scoop up water from Cheonggyecheon and take it to a research lab.
By the time the lab conducts an experiment with this water and the results come out, the situation will have already gotten as big as it could have been.
In such cases, it is necessary to be able to quickly and directly check the presence and concentration of pathogens or toxic substances on site.
Of course, it's not that there isn't any related equipment.
In some cases, they are installed in vehicles and carried around in bags.
Both were inconvenient and expensive to equip, so not everyone could easily afford them.
Engineers wanted to make their equipment more efficient.
That's why we created Lab-on-a-Chip.

---From "The World of Biochips: Where Nanotechnology and Life Science Meet"