What is biohacking? 3 things to know about this type of hacking

Last update September 14, 2022 at 05:50 am

What is biohacking? In this article we will try to explain it with these 3 concepts on this field.

Computer hackers are known to be hackers who digitally rob banks and circumvent security to intercept information. In real life, you are a hacker as soon as you start tweaking an object or a computer code. Hacking isn't inherently bad as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. It allows you to modify an object intended for a specific use to add more functionality. For example people who use kitchen knives to play samurai… it's a basic form of hacking.

Hacking has also allowed great inventions and the creation of computer viruses. To learn more read Guide to all you need to know about computer viruses.

This hacking logic applies in all fields including biology (which interests us in this article). This will give birth to a popular movement called biohacking.

In this article we are going to talk about hacking applied to biology.

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In this section:

What is Biohacking?

Biohacking can be defined in several ways. It is a combination of words Bio which means biology and hacking. Hacking is the set of activities that consist of studying a system in great detail in order to use it for desired tasks. To sum up, biohacking is the art of hijacking a system biological to achieve its goals. Hacking in itself is not bad, but hijacking a system for illegal purposes is a sin.

The other definition of biohacking it is the set of methods of personal development. A way of thinking that consists of hacking your own biology or your body to achieve a goal of well-being or productivity.

Bio hacking is also called genetics open source, hackers can tweak genetic codes to produce new ones. But beware: this practice should be done with caution for ethical reasons.

Like the movement that supports softwares open source, the FSF (free software foundation), the movement that defends and supports bio hacking is DIYbio.org (do - it - yourself biology).

Biohackers – who are they?

Biology being a very large field, there are various types of biohacker. I have given myself the freedom to name these categories for a better explanation.

DNA hackers: they specialize in the manipulation of molecules and DNA.

Brain hackers: hack and create practices or natural products to improve brain function. For example strengthening concentration, increasing memory capacity or improving intelligence.

Food pros: this group of biohackers finds through natural foods the way to improve their well-being. We are not unaware that certain foods reduce stress, others make us lazy or more productive.

The bio-self-hacker: we are all different from each other. What improves one's well-being can produce the opposite effect to another individual. The bio self hacker as the term indicates is one whose laboratory subject is none other than oneself.

General : if some bio hackers specialize in a specific area of biology, there are others who cover some or all areas. After all, the goal is not to make a job but rather to enjoy it.

The types of biohackers mentioned above do not cover all the categories that exist in the world. Biology being a vast field, there are as many categories of bio hacker as there are specializations in biology.

Example of a biohacker

Meredith Patterson:

Meredith L. Patterson is a researcher scientific and writer passionate about technology. She stood out for her research which resulted in the creation of genetically modified bacteria. This bacterium has the particularity of becoming fluorescent when put in a dairy product containing melanin. This chemical is generally found in adulterated milk which is the origin of the poisoning and death of thousands of Chinese infants in 2008. This bacterium therefore makes it possible to highlight milk poisoned with melanin.

Meredith has achieved other exploits in other scientific fields including IT. I invite you to discover the details in Wikipedia.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meredith_L._Patterson

What does biohacking bring us?

The objective as an amateur is not to create his own medicines and even less to market it. We do not have the ambition either to create pseudo-living organisms to release them in nature. Nor is it to avoid consultations on the pretext that one can treat oneself. ( see Unusual: The chimeras that men created and their reasons for being )

Le biohacking allows biologists to save money by designing and manufacturing laboratory devices themselves with materials that are easy to find and less expensive. Here is an image that illustrates the prices of each material from a standard lab from beginner to expert.

it develops the spirit of creativity and curiosity. Anyway in hacking it is never a question of why, but of how. The goal is not necessarily to bring something to the world, but rather to yourself.

We can use biological hacking to better understand our body and the influence of things around us. This biological self-knowledge is very useful for having control over our health.

Biohacking makes it possible to participate in research scientific. The world of research is increasingly closed to the public for the benefit of businesses and elites. Biohacking is a way for anyone who is curious and organized to get started in research. Be careful, you must be well equipped for your safety and that of those around you.

Biology is now accessible to everyone monde . You can build your own tools cheaply and apprendre about the things around us.

Now that we have an idea of what hacking is in biology, the question is how to go about getting started.

Biohacking – How to get started?

The easiest way to start biohacking is to start on your own. You don't need advanced knowledge in biology or medicine to get started. I will present the bases on which one can develop one's own research and which it is easier to find resources on the internet. You don't have to do everything, just take whatever feels most comfortable to get started.

1- Collect your body data with the appropriate tools:

All research activity begins with surveillance. In this section I will talk about tools that are easy to acquire. The balance to weigh yourself. It is important to know the evolution of your weight to better study your consumption. For example, if you decide to eat only vegetables, you would like to check whether vegetables really help you lose weight quickly.

The applications mobiles to track what we eat. By noting what we eat in the application, we can calculate the amount of energy and calories consumed per day and then better control our diet.

Lastly, watches connected with sensors. These watches which are known as fitness watch, wearOS (android watch) and applewatch (ios watch) are indispensable tracking tools. They allow you to efficiently measure your energy expenditure as well as your heart rate. Some will allow using smartphones to which they are connected to display performance graphs for the month or the year to study its own developments.

2- Bio food hack

One of the simplest and easiest ways to approach biohacking is to monitor your nutrition. No matter the goal, from losing weight to improving your health, it is important to eat healthy. Here are some activities to get started:

Improve your digestion naturally

Digestion is an important function of the body which must be maintained daily. For this it is recommended to consume foods rich in digestive enzymes, fibers and probiotics (bacteria that facilitate digestion). Recommended foods are in brief The juices celery, orange and carrot and vegetables like garlic, cinnamon and ginger. There are several fruits and vegetables that fill correctly that can easily be found on the web. I invite you to discover other tips.

Reduce or better, give up industrial sugars

The sweets we consume cause more damage than we can imagine in the body. It is recommended to replace them with natural sugar from fruit or with infusions of tea or herbal teas . According to atkins.com the consequences of sugar consumption are as follows:

Sugar leads to instability in the blood glucose level. This causes reactions like sugar addiction, fatigue and mood changes.
The weak immune system is also the work of sugar.
Some bacteria in our stomachs grow mainly due to sugars. If we consume it regularly the development of these bacteria will easily cause diseases and infections related to the stomach.
Another rather surprising consequence of consuming sugar is premature aging. When sugar enters the blood vessels a phenomenon called glycation occurs. Glycation is a chemical reaction that occurs when sugar attaches to protein. It then causes the loss of elasticity of the skin which accelerates the aging of the victim.
Sugar increases the risk of obesity and diseases like diabetes, heart disease of the gums and tooth decay. In short, industrial sugar is bad for health.

Soak and germinate seeds and vegetables before consuming them:

We are used to buying plant products and consuming them as soon as the opportunity arises. The problem is that seeds such as cereals and some vegetables contain nutrients that are difficult to digest in their natural state. Sometimes these agents can be dangerous in the long run for the human body.

The vitamins and certain nutrients like calcium, zinc and iron in these plant products have a very reduced bioavailability due to the presence of phytic acid. The best way to increase the bioavailability of these nutrients is to germinate these products. The germination process destroys and transforms phytic acid into vitamin and nutrient in addition to the existing one in its natural state.

In this post, we will avoid going into details so as not to be off-topic. Finding out for yourself how to effectively germinate seeds for consumption is part of biohacking.

Warning: not all sprouted seeds are good to eat. This is the case, for example, with beans which become too rich and become a dangerous poison even for animals. Before consuming any germinated seed I urge you to inquire or seek advice.

To start, see sources and resources at the end of the article after the conclusion.

Last update September 14, 2022 at 05:50 am

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Conclusion

Biohacking is not a revolution or a fad. In African countries, as everywhere else, we all know a mother or a loved one who mixes things up to solve a problem recurring biological. Biohacking is a movement that brings these actors together to facilitate the exchange of knowledge. As a reminder, here is what we saw: