Creation of Artificial Life

[† shinji]

Scientist claims to have created artificial life

A controversial scientist claims to have created a new form of artificial life by building a synthetic chromosome out of laboratory chemicals.

In a move certain to provoke fierce ethical debate, DNA researcher Craig Venter is expected to announce that his team of scientists has successfully implanted the artificial chromosome into a bacterial cell, The Guardian reported.

The US-based scientists have "stitched" together 381 genes, based on the DNA sequence of the bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium, a parasitic organism which can cause urinary tract infections.

The bacterium's already-small genome has been stripped back in the construction of the artificial chromosome, leaving only the material essential to support life.

Once the reconstructed chromosome is transplanted into its bacteria host, it will take control of the bacteria and become, essentially, a new form of life.

But the new life form, named the Mycoplasma laboratorium, will still depend on its host's existing properties to replicate itself and metabolise.

Mr Venter told The Guardian that he believed the project was "a very important philosophical step in the history of our species".

"We are going from reading our genetic code to the ability to write it. That gives us the hypothetical ability to do things never contemplated before," he said.

He said he had carried out an ethical review before embarking on the project, and talked up possible designer genome advances, including carbon-dioxide eating bacteria to combat global warming.

"We feel that this is good science," he said.

Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=303151

you're views on this?

[Whiplash]

Bound to come up with the same sort of ethical questions that surround cloning and will probably have the same result, i.e. total stalemate.

Although if it's true it does pose some interesting scientific opportunities, particularly if we can create lifeforms that are suited to conditions on other planets, or moons as the case may be.

[Juneau]

Bound to come up with the same sort of ethical questions that surround cloning and will probably have the same result, i.e. total stalemate.

Yep, though I'd like to see where this goes, and what they do with it, IMO the next 20 years will be interesting.

[Askio]

Hm, they could try to come up with the cloning idea. But with this technically it is more similar to test tube births. The chromosomes data has to come from somewhere to be based off, so it is like being born normally in a test tube, except no people have sex to start it. But this should either help along or replace the idea of stem cells. With this, people could replace the genes that make people more prone to disease, as well as other negative factors. So the religious sect has got nothing on this.

[† shinji]

This is just my view, but when they say parisitic organisms .. i begin to think of something like Resident eVil will begin .. it's all possible, especiallyifthey would be able to edit someone's DNA data.

[Askio]

kinda I suppose. But these is a virus that affects the urinary tract. Unless we can turn into zombies because our pee burns I wouldn't worry. Now if they tried to use to 'enhance' people in ways besides cures, then I would be worried. But that probably won't happen for years before it is even thought as possible.

[Whiplash]

...artificial life can only be an improvement