This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
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I'm leaving the Scientific American network, which is being "reshaped." I'll be returning to my original solo blog, which I left nearly five years ago, continuing to edit Method Quarterly, and writing for other outlets. An archive of my old posts will remain here at SciAm, and you can keep in touch with me and my writing through twitter or facebook. Thanks to everyone at Scientific American and to my faithful readers who have stuck around despite a significant drop off in the frequency of posting. I hope that you'll join me as I continue to think out loud about bacteria, synthetic biology, and design.