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US team creates first 'synthetic life' (bacteria cell controlled by a synthetic genome)
AFP on Yahoo ^ | 5/20/10 | Jean-Louis Santini

Posted on 05/20/2010 11:45:42 AM PDT by NormsRevenge

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US researchers have developed the first bacteria cell controlled by a synthetic genome, in a breakthrough which may pose philosophical and scientific questions about the bid to recreate life.

"This is the first synthetic cell that's been made," said lead researcher Craig Venter, as the discovery was unveiled.

"We call it synthetic because the cell is totally derived from a synthetic chromosome, made with four bottles of chemicals on a chemical synthesizer, starting with information in a computer."

The team said it now hopes to use the method it has developed "to probe the basic machinery of life and to engineer bacteria specially designed to solve environmental or energy problems."

The method could be used to design bacteria specifically to help produce biofuels or to clean up environmental hazards, said the study carried out by the J. Craig Venter Institute, and published in the journal Science.

"This becomes a very powerful tool for trying to design what we want biology to do. We have a wide range of applications (in mind)," said Venter, co-author of the first sequencing of the human genome in 2000.

The researchers synthesized the 1.08 million base pair genome of the bacterium Mycoplasma mycoides, created from four bottles of chemicals which make up the components of DNA.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Front Page News; Miscellaneous; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: bacteria; genome; godsgravesglyphs; life; science; synthetic
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To: NormsRevenge

Those baby blue eyes would Dr. Mengele a tingle up his legs.


21 posted on 05/20/2010 11:58:45 AM PDT by DManA
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To: Mr. Lucky

Still, if not complete it is a concrete step towards validating the Intelligent Design Theory.
Nothing like unintended consequences.


22 posted on 05/20/2010 11:59:59 AM PDT by IrishCatholic (No local Communist or Socialist Party Chapter? Join the Democrats, it's the same thing!)
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To: SpinnerWebb
I mean... what could go wrong? /sarc

Photobucket

23 posted on 05/20/2010 12:02:07 PM PDT by Stentor
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To: SpinnerWebb

“let’s engineer one that eats hydrocarbons, and release it in the Gulf to help clean up the oil spill... I mean... what could go wrong?”

An organism engineered to eat hydrocarbons in order to cleanup oil spills was created in the 70s. It was the first patented organism. To my knowledge it was never released.


24 posted on 05/20/2010 12:06:21 PM PDT by Hacklehead (Liberalism is the art of taking what works, breaking it, and then blaming conservatives.)
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To: Mr. Lucky
"Of course, the article reveals that the scientists, in fact, did not create life, they altered some of the DNA of an already living cell."

Of course.

25 posted on 05/20/2010 12:06:42 PM PDT by chuck_the_tv_out ( <<< click my name: now featuring Freeper classifieds)
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To: NormsRevenge
This looks like a close-up from the unrated version of Avatar.
26 posted on 05/20/2010 12:10:37 PM PDT by Gabrial (The Whitehouse Nightmare will continue as long as the Nightmare is in the Whitehouse)
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To: IrishCatholic

Accelerating evolution artificially requires intelligent design. How’s this for a grand, unified theory?

LOL!


27 posted on 05/20/2010 12:41:03 PM PDT by James C. Bennett
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To: SpinnerWebb
let's engineer one that eats hydrocarbons, and release it in the Gulf to help clean up the oil spill... I mean... what could go wrong?

We could call it Wormwood ...

28 posted on 05/20/2010 1:17:14 PM PDT by tx_eggman (Liberalism is only possible in that moment when a man chooses Barabas over Christ.)
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To: NormsRevenge
The method could be used to design bacteria specifically to help produce biofuels

We already have something called algae, that can do that.

29 posted on 05/20/2010 1:44:57 PM PDT by itsahoot (Each generation takes to excess, what the previous generation accepted in moderation.)
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To: Spok
How long before it’s elected to national office?

Are you kidding? We already have him.

30 posted on 05/20/2010 1:46:00 PM PDT by itsahoot (Each generation takes to excess, what the previous generation accepted in moderation.)
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To: itsahoot

Ping


31 posted on 05/20/2010 2:05:10 PM PDT by BrandtMichaels
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To: Hacklehead
We need to saturation bomb the entire mideast with oil eating bacteria bombs.

Wahabi fundamentalists will need to sell a F***LOAD of dates to continue to fund their jihadis.

32 posted on 05/20/2010 5:06:28 PM PDT by Rodamala
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· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic · subscribe ·

 
Gods
Graves
Glyphs
Thanks NormsRevenge. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
 

·Dogpile · Archaeologica · LiveScience · Archaeology · Biblical Archaeology Society ·
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· The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·


33 posted on 05/20/2010 6:44:47 PM PDT by SunkenCiv ("Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others." -- Otto von Bismarck)
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To: NormsRevenge

And what happens if some nutcase combines the properties of Anthrax, Bubonic Plague, Ebola Zaire, Influenza, and maybe a few others?


34 posted on 05/20/2010 6:54:16 PM PDT by nomad
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To: nomad
The survivors will all look like this:
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

35 posted on 05/21/2010 4:58:54 PM PDT by SunkenCiv ("Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others." -- Otto von Bismarck)
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To: Spok
How long before it’s elected to national office?

It hasn't been? Darn! There goes my Pelosi theory.

36 posted on 05/21/2010 5:09:43 PM PDT by Robwin
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