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Ask HN:Any biohacker here? I want to get help.

8 points by guojh0570 ↗ HN

  Hi you guys, recently I've read the book (DIY Scientists Hack the Software of Life).
  And then I have a deep interest in biohacking. I'm a coding amateur.
So here are my questions:

1, Is it hard to become a biohacker? Need a lot of knowledge of biology?

2, Do I need buy something really matters? Like something to do PCR and cell culture. If so, how much it will take?

Very eager to get your reply.

9 comments

[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 27.3 ms ] thread
jcr
Sorry, I'm not a biohacker, so I really don't know jack about your field of interest. I do know that I don't see much biohacking stuff on hn, so your question might be better directed towards a more specialized forum?

I do know there are hacker spaces specific to biohacking, and they usually have strong communities around them. One here in the silicon valley is called BioCurious.

http://biocurious.org/

guojh0570
Thank you for replying, I've visited some websites about biohacking, they're in USA and/or Europe, but I live in China. So I want to know some basic information. Of course I want to meet people who are good at biohacking.
kanzure
> they're in USA and/or Europe, but I live in China. So I want to know some basic information.

your best bet is https://groups.google.com/group/diybio - there are some people from China and all over the world.

You can find other groups here: http://diyhpl.us/wiki/diybio/groups

Even if you're in high school, you can still join or build your own lab. Don't let school get in the way of your work.

guojh0570
When I visited DIYbio.org, I tried to get in their email list, i.e. group/diybio.. But due to the GFW, I can not see the page. Thus I was so sad.

And thank you for the last line. I do agree what you said, and it's what I think as well.

BTW, it's hard to balance schoolwork with interests, the school doesn't encourage students to discover and do what they really enjoy. I've tried my best, I'm learning Latin as well.

devonbarrett
As jcr biohacking spaces would be a great fit for you! Find some in your local area and head down, you can find people of all experiences who can guide you and advise you.

They also have all the equipment you need to get started.

guojh0570
As I said, I'm in China. Thus I don't think there are some hacking spaces and people who have a lab or something like Biohacking spaces.
miga
There is a lot to be done with data accumulated in current databases like http://rcsb.org, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/, etc. This work doesn't require any wet lab.

If you want to do wet lab work, I would recommend to get at least few months of experience in a managed biology lab.

guojh0570
I'm a senior high student, so I don't think I can do some work in a biology lab - even I want to do. And I don't think the school biology lab does not have enough tools for what I want.