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Making DIY Morphine

Scientists have worked out the latest step in a process to manufacture morphine from glucose made from genetically engineered yeast, making it possible to produce morphine synthetically and without needing to depend on poppies such as those grown in Afghanistan. Professor Paul Freemont from the Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation at Imperial College London explains.

(Photo: Afghan poppy farmers and opium sap. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

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2 minutes