

Ask HN:Any biohacker here? I want to get help. - guojh0570

<p><pre><code>  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.
</code></pre>
So here are my questions:<p>1, Is it hard to become a biohacker? Need a lot of knowledge of biology?<p>2, Do I need buy something really matters? Like something to do PCR and cell culture. If so, how much it will take?<p>Very eager to get your reply.
======
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.

~~~
kanzure
> But due to the GFW, I can not see the page.

You can send an email to diybio+subscribe@googlegroups.com if you want to read
the mailing list. Also, there are public archives:

<http://diyhpl.us/~bryan/irc/diybio.maildir.tar.gz>

------
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.

------
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.

