It’s Tuesday August 4th, and here’s what’s happening in the world of biotech:

BIOTECH PIONEER NOW THE ONLY MEMBER OF BOTH APPLE AND GOOGLE BOARDS – Arthur Levinson, who made his name as the chairman and chief executive of Genentech, a California biotech firm, is now the only person who holds positions on the board of directors for tech giants Google and Apple. The Guardian reports:

The Seattle-born scientist joined Apple’s board of directors in August 2000, and added the position at Google to his CV in 2004 – shortly before the search advertising company launched on the stock market and turned its founders into instant billionaires.

Nine years ago Apple boss Steve Jobs welcomed the addition of Levinson to the company’s board, calling him “highly respected” and saying that he “leads one of the most important and successful science-based companies of our time”.

This just goes to show — yet again — how well respected biotech is among innovators.

23ANDME’S ANNE WOJCICKI ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS – If you’ve got burning questions about 23andMe’s pioneering role in personal genomics, here’s your chance. The Freakonomics blog at the New York Times is accepting questions for 23andMe’s Anne Wojcicki. After posting questions in the comments thread, check back and answers will be posted in about a week. Genomeweb reports that Steven Dubner, in introducing the company’s genetic and social networking aspects, says it is “sort of like Facebook for your innards.”

EXPERTS GROW NEW TEETH IN ADULT MICE – Scientists in Japan have successfully grown fully funtional teeth in adult mice using cells from an embryo. This breakthrough demonstrates the promise of this technology in restoring human organs in the future. Reuters reports:

The researchers described how they had developed a “bioengineered tooth germ” – or seed containing certain cells taken from a mouse embryo. The seeds were later transplanted into the jawbones of adult mice.

“The ultimate goal of regenerative therapy is to develop fully functioning bioengineered organs that can replace lost or damaged organs following disease, injury or aging,” they wrote.

AGRICULTURAL PARTNERSHIP LEADS TO HUGE GAINS – a joint project between BASF and Monsanto to develop genetically modified crops is showing significant promise despite the global recession. Bloomberg reports:

Agricultural solutions, the smallest of BASF’s six businesses by sales, was the only one that reported an increase in second-quarter operating profit. BASF and Monsanto, the world’s biggest seed producer, agreed in 2007 to spend as much as $1.5 billion on joint research on developing plants that are more resistant to threats like cold, bugs and pesticides.