Your childhood chemistry set was never like this. According to an Associated Press report, a growing number of science enthusiasts are experimenting with genetic engineering at home. Geared up with Internet resources and commercially available equipment, these self-proclaimed “biohackers” are converting kitchen tables and garages into personal labs, tinkering with yogurt bacteria and jellyfish DNA.

For those needing a little more help, a Cambridge, MA, organization called DIYbio has set up a community lab that provides chemicals and lab equipment for the public’s use. The group encourages openness and safety and so far has boasted a few projects ranging from “bio weathermaps” that aim to compare the microbes living on crosswalk buttons in cities across the United States to sets for build-it-yourself gel boxes.

Proponents applaud these efforts, saying that their creativity could be used on projects “for the good of humanity while learning something in the process,” and say science should be “more sexy and more fun and more like a game.” They point to the success of Bill Gates’s garage computer that revolutionized information technology.

Critics, however, note there are several differences between a busted computer and a bad genetic experiment under uncontrolled conditions.

What do you think?