Scientists get closer to creating artificial life: study

Breitbart ^ | Dec 5, 2008

[Soliton]

Scientists have discovered a more efficient way of building a synthetic genome that could one day enable them to create artificial life, according to a study. The method is already being used to help develop next generation biofuels and biochemicals in the labs of controversial celebrity US scientist Craig Venter.

Venter has hailed artificial life forms as a potential remedy to illness and global warming, but the prospect is highly controversial and arouses heated debate over its potential ramifications and the ethics of engineering artificial life.

Artificially engineered life is one of the Holy Grails of science, but also stirs deep fears as foreseen in Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel "Brave New World" in which natural human reproduction is eschewed in favor of babies grown in laboratories.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

If they’re truly “creating” artificial life, I hope that they are starting with absolutely “nothing” and creating each atom and particle along the way. Otherwise, they are merely “synthesizing” or rearranging that which some other being “created.”

[Soliton]

I hope that they are starting with absolutely “nothing” and creating each atom and particle along the way. Otherwise, they are merely “synthesizing” or rearranging that which some other being “created.”

God made Adam out of mud and Eve out of Adam.

[Travis McGee]

[Chasaway]

And He made the mud.

[Soliton]

And He made the mud.

Mud is made of atoms

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

That, like "artificial intelligence" will never happen. They will, however, make something that mimics life and then call it "artificial life", and they will go around saying that they created life.

[Chasaway]

Yes, good. You must know lots of science.

And He made the atoms...

[Soliton]

And He made the atoms...

That would be a guess since atoms aren't mentioned in the Bible

[tx_eggman]

They will, however, make something that mimics life and then call it "artificial life", and they will go around saying that they created life.

Oh, they're going to figure something out, something that's going to turn quite a few heads ...

And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak. Revelation 13:14-15

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Yes, He did. After he created ‘mud.’

[Cyclone59]

As much as I love and respect science, but this is idiotic and reminds me of a joke.

Some scientists discovered that they could create life in the lab starting with a clump of dirt. God saw this and appeared in the lab one day. The scientists were thrilled to see him, but they quickly said he was no longer needed. They told him that they created life with a clump of dirt. God said “oh really, show me”. As the scientist grabbed a clump of dirt God stopped them and said, “Whoa there, get your own dirt”

[verity]

"...stirs deep fears..."

As did the horseless carriage.........;-)

[SalukiLawyer]

The big story of our time is the bizarre intersection of science and news where one craptastic flopped prediction after another by publicity-seeking scientists or newsies with column inches to fill. The scientismists need to worry about crackpot reporting undermining respect for rational thought, not Creationism or Intelligent Design.

The laziest story to write is "scientists closer to..." and real scientists should be embarrassed. Anyway, drop the whole creating life chimera and give me a TV remote that never needs batteries and can't be lost.

[Soliton]

As did the horseless carriage.........;-)

There is a lot of fear of the unknown

[Mr. Mojo]

Hopefully Igor won’t dig up any more Abbey Normals.

[Soliton]

The laziest story to write is "scientists closer to..."

Not if it's true. These guys are literally creating new DNA using the assembly mechanism in yeast. They will produce completely new life forms. The next step is to create the assembly mechanism itself.

[Soothesayer]

We already have artificial life walking among us.

[SalukiLawyer]

Well, you have a point. If it's true it's not false. :-)

I'll start paying attention when global warming has melted the ice caps and the handful of humans who didn't die of AIDS are reviving the human race with yeast people.

[aimhigh]

These guys are literally creating new DNA using the assembly mechanism in yeast. They will produce completely new life forms.

Then they are creating life from life. They haven't truly created life unless they begin by using completely componants that didn't originate from living things.