BioCurious Opens Its Lab in Sunnyvale, CA

BioCurious isn't unique (a similar space has been set up in New York City, and some movements such as synthetic biology promote open information), but it's got a rare knack for making people comfortable with processes and ideas that normally put them off. When executive director Eri Gentry introduces the idea to many people, they react with alarm and put up their hands, as if they're afraid of being overwhelmed by technobabble. (I interviewed Gentry (MP3) before a talk she gave at this year's O'Reilly Open Source Convention.)

BioCurious attacks that fear and miscomprehension. Like Hacker Dojo, another Silicon Valley stalwart whose happy hour I attended Friday night, they wants an open space for open-minded people. Hacker Dojo and BioCurious will banish forever the stereotype of the scientist or engineer as a socially maladroit loner. The attendees are stringently welcoming and interested in talking about what they do in says that make it understandable...