Bioengineering For a Bright and Blissful Future

Bioengineering is not just a discipline of the future; it is the fundamental force of our existence in harmony with nature. Let us not forget that the life itself began and continues its immortal journey through the regenerative power of biological nature, creating the vast “diversity of oneness” that defines our world. It also reminds us of the ‘oneness of diversity’ and invokes in us a sense of responsibility to maintain diversity and harmony to cultivate a happy and healthy life on planet Mother Earth.

Today, as humanity grapples with the crises of climate change, staggering global inequality, and the mounting burden of disease, and existential threat coming from ever-rising power of microbial kingdom, we must rediscover the profound power of bioengineering to forge a bright and sustainable future.

Physical Sciences Dominated the Science Horizons

For too long, the physical sciences—physics, chemistry, and conventional engineering—have dominated scientific progress. This focus yielded impressive capabilities, enabling us to move faster on land, fly in the air, and venture into space. Yet, many of these advances have inadvertently created serious global challenges, even posing existential threats. In this scientific journey all along we laid a heavy emphasis on physical sciences including natural materials and minerals, negotiated their properties and designed and developed marvels of great scientific value. More lately, advancements in nano-science and technology and immense capabilities of analysis provided by information technology have given a renewed upsurge for artificial intelligence and smart and autonomous systems. While these developments offer humanity unprecedented empowerment, the unintended consequences of this physical-science-led journey, also gave rise to global challenges and mounting fears of technological insecurity rising out of advanced science and technology falling in unscrupulous hands. This demands a pivotal shift in scientific priority.

Biological Sciences Possess Great Transformative Power

Biological sciences and bioengineering entered the scientific revolution much later, but with a profoundly transformative impact. Through rapid advancements in life sciences and biomedical engineering, we now possess a deeper understanding of biological systems and processes. This knowledge empowers humanity with a renewed hope: the potential to wipe out hunger, eradicate disease, reverse enormous pollution, and usher in a new era of global prosperity and happiness. Bioengineering is the critical science that will heal our planet and safeguard the future of humanity. It will power the bioeconomy and shall create a renewed hope for harmonious living with nature, in the era of prosperity and development.

The monster of environmental pollution, including water, air, and soil pollution can be tackled more effectively using bioengineering and bio-inspired solutions that include bio-treatment of wastewater,

Bioengineering is emerging as a critical discipline to address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges, offering scalable, biological solutions where traditional physical sciences often fall short. For climate change, bioengineering utilizes genetically enhanced photosynthetic organisms, such as algae and cyanobacteria, for highly efficient Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), converting atmospheric CO2 into valuable bio–products or carbon-neutral biofuels.

Simultaneously, in the fight against widespread pollution, advanced bioengineering is transforming environmental remediation. For water and soil, this involves engineering microbes and plants (phytoremediation) to act as biological filters, either degrading persistent pollutants like pesticides and hydrocarbons or hyper-accumulating heavy metals, thereby cleaning contaminated sites in situ. Furthermore, specialized microbial systems are deployed in advanced bio–filters to break down industrial air pollutants like VOCs and NOx, while microbial fuel cells treat wastewater and generate renewable energy. By harnessing and optimizing the intricate metabolic pathways of life, rapidly advancing frontiers of bioengineering are poised to deliver sustainable, cost-effective technologies that are essential for restoring ecological balance and securing a healthier future.

Humanity on the Threshold of Bioeconomy

Bioeconomy is emerging as a transformative force for sustainable development, leveraging biological resources and innovative technologies to address global environmental challenges. By integrating advances in biotechnology and digital tools with circular economy principles, the bioeconomy offers solutions that not only mitigate environmental impacts, but also drive economic growth and societal well-being. It is estimated that the global bioeconomy shall grow to $4 Trillion by 2040. The major sectors currently contributing to the global GDP are services, manufacturing, and agriculture. The emergence and growth of the bioeconomy is expected to reshape these traditional sectors by integrating biotechnology and sustainable, bio-based processes, leading to reduced reliance on fossil fuels and the creation of new bio-processing industries powering bioenergy, biomaterials, bio-manufacturing, quantum biology, bio-inspired computing, quantum sensing for healthcare and medicine, and bioinstrumentation.

The WEF views the emerging bioeconomy as a strategic imperative, not just a “nice to have,” for global sustainability as per its recent publications on bioeconomy. “Scaling integrated bioeconomic solutions demands significant investment in infrastructure and technology. Developing bioprocessing facilities, establishing supply chains for bio-based materials, and funding research and development are critical steps. Governments and private investors must commit to the bioeconomy’s growth and recognize its long-term benefits”, says WEF.

The Dawn of the Biological Age: A Call to Action

Standing at a civilizational crossroads, we must transition from a physical-science-centric world toward one guided by the restorative wisdom of Bioengineering. This shift is no longer a choice but a necessity for survival. By moving beyond the unintended consequences of traditional technology and embracing the intelligence of the microbial and plant kingdoms, we can finally reconcile human ambition with planetary health. The projected $4 Trillion Bioeconomy is more than a financial milestone; it is a new social contract between humanity and Mother Earth. Yet, this “blissful future” depends on more than just innovation, it requires a profound shift in our ethical compass and a commitment to the oneness of diversity. The future resides in the intricate pathways of the cell and the resilient roots of our Mother Earth. It is therefore our collective responsibility to lead this biological revolution with wisdom, ensuring a legacy of restoration, harmony, and a flourishing existence for all generations to come.

The authors, Anugyan Sharma is a student member of Biomedical Engineering Society and Bioengineering Undergraduate at UC San Diego; Professor PB Sharma is a renowned thought leader, visionary educationist, and a crusader for sustainable development, currently Vice Chancellor of Amity University Gurugram, India.