Scientists create synthetic life
Scientists have developed the first cell controlled by a synthetic genome. But what implications does this have?
Craig Venter is a media tart – meant in the nicest possible way, of course. But his media has usually involved stories that include the words “almost” and “close to”.
This time he seems to have done it, hasn’t he? Venter’s paper just published in Science announced they have developed the world’s first synthetic living cell.
They did, but it was not an artificial genome in the sense they invented new genes and stuck them in a bacteria to create a completely new organism. They took an existing bacterial genome, got it synthesized, then stuck it in a second species of bacterium that then started replicating and eventually took on the characteristics of the first bacterium. This is cool stuff and undoubtedly an important first step but it is what it might lead to that has some worried and others excited. As always, it is not the knowledge but how we as a society choose to apply it.
I did have loads of thought and comments on this, but the Science Media Centre has already put together an impressive list of opinions from the scientific to the philosophical that I am just going to refer you to their site – link below.
Other references
Science News has an extensive article including a podcast interview with Venter and a video
And here is our ABC take on it