3.5 Billion Years of Problem Solving      As a society, we are focusing substantial resources on finding solutions to very complex problems – be they environmental pollution, energy, complex diseases or possible life on other planets.      Interestingly, the solutions to these forward looking questions lie in our past. Over 3.5 billion years of evolution, biological systems have scanned every inch of our planet to solve some of the most complex environmental problems. We have discovered life on ocean floors under enormous pressure where temperatures are above the boiling point; in halite crystals 250 million years old; under conditions where organisms use sulfur instead of oxygen for respiration; and in arctic glaciers where temperatures are well below freezing.      Herein may lie solutions to some of our own environmental challenges. Using systems biology approaches, we may be able to recombine various mechanisms within these diverse organisms to deal with some extraordinary human problems. Modern sequencing technologies are cranking out genome sequences for diverse organisms by the hundreds, if not thousands. Computational approaches to decode these genomes are also advancing rapidly. These technologies, while identifying the constituent parts lists of genes, RNAs and proteins, do not explain why organisms with similar parts can solve very different problems. For this, a systems approach is necessary. Such approaches can characterize how unique biological circuits within each of these organisms assemble dynamically in extreme environments, sharing and re-using constituent parts.      By applying sophisticated technologies for cell culturing, perturbation and high resolution measurement of responses, ISB researchers have mapped, at the molecular level, the biological components and functions of organisms found in extreme environments. Using rapidly advancing synthetic biology approaches, we are learning how to precisely re-engineer this exquisite biological circuitry to obtain desirable properties. More importantly, by plugging the re-engineered circuit back into the model organism as a whole, we can identify and make compensatory changes elsewhere in the organism's overall cellular network to restore general systems fitness.      This powerful approach with Archaea, a single-celled microorganism being studied at ISB, could potentially provide sustainable solutions for some very pressing human problems, such as cleaning up radionuclide waste in holding tanks by re-engineering metal-reducing organisms to grow under high salt, high temperature and high radiation conditions. Nitin Baliga, PhD Associate Professor Institute for Systems Biology
	In this issue
	RESEARCH.....................................................2
		Creating the Center for Systems Biology Luxembourg (CSBL)
		Researchers Develop an Efficient New Method for Biomarker Identification
		ISB's Baliga joins Global Innovation Leaders at Science Foo
		ISB: Driving Discovery and Economic Growth
		Swedish Medical Center
	EDUCATION....................................................5
		ISB Program Helps Students Improve Science Scores
	COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT......................6
		A Ballroom Full of ISB Supporters!
	GRANTS AND RECOGNITION......................7
		ISB Announces New Research Grants and Contracts Totaling More Than $9 Million
	FACULTY ADDITION......................................7
		Robert Moritz, PhD
	EVENTS...........................................................8
		DNA of Innovation
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