Biophone

Our cells - not the tiny biological systems but portable phones - have become man's best friend. Or at least his most constant companion. They accompany us everywhere and provide us with everything we need. Music, email, viral videos literally at our fingertips.

Biotechnology has become sophisticated enough for designer biological systems to be a hazy possibility for the future.

Introducing the bioPhone - an idea developed in conversation with William Heath, 36, of Palo Alto, a member of the organization DIYbio, which has recently brought genetic monkeying around to the home kitchen a public spaces.

"Cells are nanomachines - they are the most efficient robost nano-devices," says Heath. He envisions a future full of biological machines and when asked what he thought a biological iPhone would look like, Heath proposed a biological system with a smorgasbord of parts. For example, the bioPhone would be able to photosynthesize, like a plant, and have a nervous system like an animal.

In his view, biotechnology's progress towards genetic design is not something to be feared. "You see how it's inevitable, it's green technology, it's biological," says Heath.