The Adventures of E. Coli

In a world deep within us, lives an unlikely friend. This story follows the journey of a lonely bacterium, E. coli One, as he defends his home and his new found family. He lives deep within our gut protecting himself and every one of us. The Adventures of E. Coli was inspired through the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition. IGEM is an international competition dedicated to biotechnology and synthetic biology. The competition provides an opportunity for secondary and tertiary students to work in teams designing biological systems. Through this experience, the students gain valuable skills relating to scientific research, laboratory procedures and public outreach. The University of Melbourne iGEM team uses knowledge from other iGEM teams and the iGEM foundation to develop biological systems and operate them in living cells. In addition to this lab-based work, one of the goals of iGEM is to help educate the public about synthetic biology and its impacts on society. We believe that through this book, young children can learn about basic concepts and the language of biology, forming a scientific foundation to be built on in future years. Moreover, it is our hope that this book will inspire children to continue to learn about science and to appreciate all the wonders that it holds.