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Scientists have created the world’s first synthetic life form in a landmark experiment that paves the way for designer organisms that are built rather than evolved. The controversial feat, which has occupied 20 scientists for more than 10 years at an estimated cost of $40m, was described by one researcher as “a defining moment in biology”.
Craig Venter, the pioneering US geneticist behind the experiment, said the achievement heralds the dawn of a new era in which new life is made to benefit humanity, starting with bacteria that churn out biofuels, soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and even manufacture vaccines.
However critics, including some religious groups, condemned the work, with one organisation warning that artificial organisms could escape into the wild and cause environmental havoc or be turned into biological weapons. Others said Venter was playing God.
The new organism is based on an existing bacterium that causes mastitis in goats, but at its core is an entirely synthetic genome that was constructed from chemicals in the laboratory.
The single-celled organism has four “watermarks” written into its DNA to identify it as synthetic and help trace its descendants back to their creator, should they go astray.
Please, create some intelligent life form and send to Brazil. We need it badly.
http://tinyurl.com/2dcm779
The last time we created something ‘good’ turned out pretty bad. CFC’s come to mind.
Those little buggers are still gobbling up the Ozone layer – and have another 50 years left till they die.
Humans should not be creating anything – especially if it self replicates. I totally agree with the thumpers on this one but for practical reasons.
Those who complain that we are trying to play god, I simply say “whatchu talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” Last I checked, these were scientists working in laboratories, not folks running around in tin hats swinging big-ass hammers, or riding in chariots pulling the sun across the sky, or torturing Job…
I do have a certain level of fear of some of these buggers one of these days getting out into the wild and causing havoc. I have the same fear of genetically modified corn cross-breeding with other plant life. However, the potential good outweighs the bad at this point, so go for it!
I’ll be surprised if anything truly practical comes of this. For example, we having cloning technology but it tends to produce inferior sickly clones.
The only ‘God’ metric here is if we can thoroughly manage whatever we create. Yeah right. Still, I’m not (yet) a Luddite, so this is very cool and interesting.
I see now, the next major epidemic will be man-made.
Its only because the universe is a meaningless place that I welcome this advance in science and the more to follow.
Our science will allow us to expand in ever more complex support systems until, one day, for who as yet knows why, it all comes tumbling down.
Ultimately, yes, when we have caused 95% of other life forms on this planet to go extinct in the effort to keep ourselves expanding, our ultimate demise WILL be of our own making.
No other way.
I’d be more impressed if they had not used an existing bacterium with it’s life support mechanisms intact. Or if they’d made a new DNA instead of using the same four amino acids (GTCA).
Not saying what they’ve done isn’t impressive just that if you’re gonna play god, then do something new.
I’d be more impressed if they had made a food replicator or a spiffy transport system, or even a Generation One Hyperdrive.
but all they did was build a functioning dna code and inject it into existing plasma and have it reproduce.
10 years and $40MM. but I can still complain.
Yes – we are GOD. We have always been God. Man created God in our image, in our likeness.
What? No one is going to blame Obama for this?
“one organisation warning that artificial organisms could escape into the wild and cause environmental havoc…”
So, kind of like we humans then??
#4 “I do have a certain level of fear of some of these buggers one of these days getting out into the wild and causing havoc.”
Religious nutballs you mean??
This is proof that Intelligent Design can create an organism. Is it playing God? Not unless they created this organism from nothing.
Synthetic Life Form Grows in Fla. Lab
Irene Klotz, Discovery News
Feb. 27, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/btgnrz
Great, something else we will need a vaccine for.
@ #11 no but I bet they’ll blame Bush
#13
If they pour a glass of water on these organisms does that too prove the story of Noahs Ark?
#4 Tom ‘running around in tin hats swinging big-ass hammers, or riding in chariots pulling the sun across the sky’
I’d play god if that’s what it involves
send the tricia helfer fembot my way. she can squeeze the life out of me any time.
8,
If it wasn’t made out of those four chemicals, it wouldn’t be DNA. Do you understand how DNA works?
An artificial molecule that looks like DNA can be created, but unless it uses the same chemicals, it can’t work with RNA, amino acids, enzymes, and such and the cell would die.
Pooh-poohing this acheivement because it “only” uses the same chemicals is like shitting on the guys who made the Hoover Dam because it “only” uses concrete and steel.
The fact is any cell would die without its genetic material, and these guys replaced the original stuff.
The key fact is that this stuff replicated just like the “real” deal and the new cell prospered. Frankly that’s amazing (and potentially scary) shit that should be recognized as a great achievement.
We created the idea of god, so why not. Sorry, I forgot. EVERY one of the world’s 125 major gods/goddess are fake, totally made up fictions…except for yours (whichever that is). Right. Gotcha. ROTFLMAO. Magic is magic.
I thought this was cool:
“They rebuilt a natural sequence and they put in some poetry,” said University of California at San Francisco synthetic biologist Chris Voigt. “They recreated some quotes in the genome sequence as watermarks.”
Art and science in a perfect blend?
#17 MrMiGu said,
“If they pour a glass of water on these organisms does that too prove the story of Noahs Ark?”
Can’t prove historical events like that. I just meant that it proves an intelligence can design life, which is what Intelligent Design is all about.
#15 for the win!
What this really proves is that life is just a machine. One base on carbon.
Now they just have to figure out how to program cells. As far as I know no one understands how even a simple organisms go from DNA to the finished product. Once they do understand watch out. We will have designer life. There is a Bio-App for that.
Biotechs insert man made genetic material into human, yeast and bacterial cells each day and have been doing it for ten years. I wonder why this is news?
It’s the 1770’s and Watt has just rolled out the steam pressure engine.
Hang on kids, the revolution is about to start.
Just a reminder to everyone. Technological progress didn’t even slow down during the last depression and it won’t during this one either.
It is not synthetic if they use naturally occurring parts.
It is a hybrid and man has done many of those before. Most of the food we eat is hybridised or bred for particular traits. Nothing new here.
Just like the cloning is nothing more than forcing a twinning process that naturally exists.
Until they make it from all scratch, it is not synthetic.
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No, we’re not.
Wow, that was easy.
Ask a harder question next time.