Skip to comments.
Scientists around world in race to create artificial life (announcement expected in 3-10 years)
The Times of India / AP ^
| August 20, 2007
Posted on 08/20/2007 12:19:19 AM PDT by Stoat
Scientists around world in race to create artificial life 20 Aug 2007, 0647 hrs IST,AP
WASHINGTON: Around the world, a handful of scientists are trying to create life from scratch and they're getting closer.
Experts expect an announcement within three to 10 years from someone in the now little-known field of "wet artificial life."
"It's going to be a big deal and everybody's going to know about it," said Mark Bedau, chief operating officer of ProtoLife of Venice, Italy, one of those in the race.
"We're talking about a technology that could change our world in pretty fundamental ways, in fact, in ways that are impossible to predict."
That first cell of synthetic life - made from the basic chemicals in DNA - may not seem like much to non-scientists. For one thing, you'll have to look in a microscope to see it.
"Creating protocells has the potential to shed new life on our place in the universe," Bedau said. "This will remove one of the few fundamental mysteries about creation in the universe and our role."
And several scientists believe man-made life forms will one day offer the potential for solving a variety of problems, from fighting diseases to locking up greenhouse gases to eating toxic waste.
Bedau figures there are three major hurdles to creating synthetic life: A container, or membrane, for the cell to keep bad molecules out, allow good ones, and the ability to multiply; A genetic system that controls the functions of the cell, enabling it to reproduce and mutate in response to environmental changes; A metabolism that extracts raw materials from the environment as food and then changes it into energy.
|
|
|
TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Technical
KEYWORDS: artificiallife; life; moralabsolutes
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-28 next last
See also a slightly more detailed version of this story in the NY Post (I posted the Times of India version of the story because FR posting rules require heavy editing of NY Post articles)
Latest News Top Stories News Articles
Excerpt:
One of the leaders in the field, Jack Szostak at Harvard Medical School, predicts that within the next six months, scientists will report evidence that the first step - creating a cell membrane - is "not a big problem." Scientists are using fatty acids in that effort. Szostak is also optimistic about the next step - getting nucleotides, the building blocks of DNA, to form a working genetic system. His idea is that once the container is made, if scientists add nucleotides in the right proportions, then Darwinian evolution could simply take over. "We aren't smart enough to design things, we just let evolution do the hard work and then we figure out what happened," Szostak said.
|
***********************************************************************************************************************************
From these sparse articles' incomplete descriptions, I'm not so sure that what they are describing is something that I would call "life" but it does sound like something that will serve to further erode and demean the sanctity and unique importance of all life.
If "life" is something that can now be created in a laboratory, it will diminish the importance and reverence that (some) humans will feel for one another, and for their children, both born and unborn....after all, if it can be created in a laboratory, it's not so very special, is it then?
I find this unsettling, and feel that it does not bode well for Mankind's overall relationship with himself and with God.
I wish that religious scholars had been interviewed for this article, to help provide some philosophical context.
"sigh"
1
posted on
08/20/2007 12:19:24 AM PDT
by
Stoat
To: cpforlife.org; Coleus; cgk; narses; MHGinTN
2
posted on
08/20/2007 12:20:55 AM PDT
by
Stoat
(Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
To: wagglebee; little jeremiah
3
posted on
08/20/2007 12:22:24 AM PDT
by
Stoat
(Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
To: Stoat
I find this unsettling, and feel that it does not bode well for Mankind's overall relationship with himself and with God.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I could handle having a little more time to see how things turn out with the great grand children!
4
posted on
08/20/2007 12:26:10 AM PDT
by
Candor7
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Baghdad_(1258))
To: Stoat
“A handful of scientists” are making headlines disproportionate to their numbers. Don’t you smell an agenda from the media. Ask Soros for his thoughts and cut out the middle men.
5
posted on
08/20/2007 12:32:30 AM PDT
by
Thebaddog
(My dogs are tired)
To: Stoat
First lifeform they create will probably be a cop.
/sarcasm (?)
To: Stoat
Likely they will just take bits and pieces of preexisting biological materials from living organisms and mix and match them together. They’ll then take a bow as if this is something astounding, that they personally created new life. In reality it’s not much different than taking an engine from a Chevy, various parts from other cars, and ‘creating’ a new automobile. Yes, it will be an accomplishment of sorts, and yes it is a challenge to build new cell membranes etc., but it is not the same as creating life. I’m really sick of hyped science and scientists who are trying to be rock stars.
8
posted on
08/20/2007 1:11:09 AM PDT
by
D-fendr
To: Stoat
Here’s an article that quotes some bioethicists,
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Science/853990.html
C. Ben Mitchell is a theologian, as well as a bioethicist.
I keep thinking, “Why?” What is the purpose other than to just try and see? I can’t believe that there’s a medical benefit or any other form of scientific benefit from these experiments.
Other than getting scientists jobs and funding, that is.
9
posted on
08/20/2007 1:11:13 AM PDT
by
hocndoc
(http://www.lifeethics.org/www.lifeethics.org/index.html)
To: pieceofthepuzzle
"Likely they will just take bits and pieces of preexisting biological materials from living organisms and mix and match them together. "Or, they could spend some quality time with the missus and get better results...
10
posted on
08/20/2007 1:13:10 AM PDT
by
D-fendr
To: Stoat; Candor
Personally, I prefer the old traditional method of creating life :)
11
posted on
08/20/2007 1:14:47 AM PDT
by
Vanders9
To: Stoat
3 to 10 years. Isn’t that about the time that global warming will melt all the glaciers and flood the earth? Guess they’ll have to get the big news out by row boat.
To: Stoat
Artificial life already exists. It's also know as "no life"...
13
posted on
08/20/2007 1:21:00 AM PDT
by
Caipirabob
(Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
To: hocndoc
Heres an article that quotes some bioethicists,Thanks very much for posting that link....it's a worthwhile article that I hope everyone will read.
More interesting than the one I posted here :-)
14
posted on
08/20/2007 1:24:36 AM PDT
by
Stoat
(Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
To: Vanders9
Personally, I prefer the old traditional method of creating life :)You mean, in the back seat of a Chevy? :-)
15
posted on
08/20/2007 1:26:21 AM PDT
by
Stoat
(Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
To: The KG9 Kid
If they fail to achieve life, they have one consolation.
The residue will be yet another lawyer.
16
posted on
08/20/2007 1:33:07 AM PDT
by
Stallone
(Free Republic - The largest collection of volunteer Freedom Fighters the world has ever known)
To: Stoat
(announcement expected in 3-10 years)
At least they gave the reporters a good lead time. "Three to ten year warning, people!"
17
posted on
08/20/2007 2:07:34 AM PDT
by
Darkwolf377
(Any Republicans around here?)
To: Stoat
Artificial life A/K/A teenagers
18
posted on
08/20/2007 2:24:57 AM PDT
by
Raycpa
To: Stoat
In my opinion, this little “experiment” only strengthens the case for a creator. But, in all its ignorance, the media will spin it to challenge this case.
To: Stoat
Scientists around world in race to create artificial life I find life already rather artificial. Are they going to make it even more artificial?
20
posted on
08/20/2007 2:46:33 AM PDT
by
Allan
(*-O)):~{>)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-28 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson