Biohacking Down Under # 1

Hi guys! I just had my first biohacking session and it was awesome!

So why Biohacking?

Well firstly, what is biohacking? There are many different types of biohacking. One form people follow is that of modifying the body. Making modifications includes inserting RFID chips in their hands to act as business cards. This is also known as transhumanism. Others try to “hack” the metabolic processes of their body by following strict diets to yield results such as more energy. All of these movements follow a DIY or “Do It Yourself” ethic.

Which movement of biohacking am I embarking following? The third one, and by large the most popular (I’m a sucker for bandwagons). Here in Melbourne Australia, the stage has been set for members of the public to follow and get involved in more non-institutional trends in science education. Such as the establishment of community ran laboratories. Why? Curiosity, Humans are curious, very curious. Curiosity combined with imagination can lead to some innovative discoveries. While curiosity leads to amazing things, it has also led to frightening things. One of the largest and most important values displayed by the biohacker community is transparency. Biohackers in the scene are working alongside industry professionals, government officials, and academia to make sure their projects are not only fun and interesting, but adhering to all safety standards as much as possible.

So what would having a local biohacker space look like? Well imagine having a membership to your local lab, and being able to make plants glow, bacteria change color when they come in contact with different chemicals, or getting involved with a project that could have a huge impact like finding a replacement to palm oil and more! 

So where are we right now? Well we have a little bit of traction (check our our vice article), we’ve had some equipment donated, the community is growing, we’ve had meetups, a workshop and finally, a space that we are going to be converting into our very own lab! With the support of friends, family, biohackers here in Melbourne, Sydney at the BioFoundry, and internationally, we hope to bring that satisfaction to your curiosity only science and your imagination can provide.

 Stay tuned and you can join me on the process of what’s been involved so far and what’s up ahead!

Watch as this space turns into Melbourne's first BioHacker space!