By modifying the genomes of plants and microorganisms, synthetic biologists can design biological systems that meet a specification, such as producing valuable chemical compounds, making bacteria sensitive to light, or programming bacterial cells to invade cancer cells. By modifying the genomes of plants and microorganisms, synthetic biologists can design biological systems that meet a specification, such as producing valuable chemical compounds, making bacteria sensitive to light, or programming bacterial cells to invade cancer cells. Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Phys.org – latest science and technology news stories