| Aug 17, 2012 |
Synthetic biology article collections published by the Public Library of Science
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(Nanowerk News) This collection aims to highlight PLOS ONE's role in the emerging interdisciplinary field of synthetic biology. The collection has its roots in PLOS ONE's very first issue, which included two publications from the field and since then, the number of synthetic biology articles published by the journal has grown steadily. As the field continues to develop, this collection will be updated to include new publications, thereby tracking the evolution of this dynamic research area.
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Synthetic biology occurs at the intersection of a number of traditional disciplines, including biology, chemistry, and engineering. It aims to create biological systems that can be programmed to do useful things such as producing drugs and biofuel. The interdisciplinary nature of synthetic biology can make it difficult to publish in traditional journals. PLOS ONE's broad scope, however, allows for the publication of work crossing many traditional research boundaries, making it an ideal venue for many different types of synthetic biology publications. In addition, the journal's focus on rigorous peer review without considering impact has made it possible to publish a body of articles that truly reflects the multifaceted nature of this research area.
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One overarching theme of synthetic biology is standardization, which can only be achieved through concerted community effort. To this end, each article published in PLOS ONE can be the start of a lively conversation. The ability to comment on articles provides the community with a means to engage in a dialogue focused on specific articles, and the "Share this Article" feature allows readers to quickly send an article they find interesting to their entire networks, because all the content is openly accessible.
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Articles in the Synthetic Biology Collection are presented in order of publication date and new articles will be added as they are published. PLOS ONE welcomes submissions in this field.
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