"Do-it-yourself biologists emerged into the spotlight after the first meeting, in a Cambridge pub, in 2008. Their exploits have since earned them a moniker fit for the headlines of the twenty-first century: biohackers (see page 650). Media coverage has taken its toll on the public’s perception of ‘DIYbio’. Stories in the press are often peppered with sweeping claims of the monumental advances to be made by unleashing the talents of the public at large on important biological questions. Equally common are breathless warnings that a bioterrorist is busy crafting the next plague in a garage, safe from the watchful eye of the authorities."
