Posted on 05/30/2010 9:37:12 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Heralding a potential new era in biology, scientists for the first time have created a synthetic cell, completely controlled by man-made genetic instructions, researchers at the private J. Craig Venter Institute announced Thursday.
"We call it the first synthetic cell," said genomics pioneer Craig Venter, who oversaw the project. "These are very much real cells."
Created at a cost of $40 million, this experimental one-cell organism, which can reproduce, opens the way to the manipulation of life on a previously unattainable scale, several researchers and ethics experts said. Scientists have been altering DNA piecemeal for a generation, producing a menagerie of genetically engineered plants and animals. But the ability to craft an entire organism offers a new power over life, they said.
The development, documented in the peer-reviewed journal Science, may stir anew nagging questions of ethics, law and public safety about artificial life that biomedical experts have been debating for more than a decade.
"This is literally a turning point in the relationship between man and nature," said molecular biologist Richard Ebright at Rutgers University, who wasn't involved in the project. "For the first time, someone has generated an entire artificial cell with predetermined properties."
David Magnus, director of the Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics, said, "It has the potential to transform genetic engineering. The research is going to explode."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Why do I get a “B-grade sci-fi film” vibe from this...
There are going to be some people who will claim this proves life began naturally. Just watch.
Liberals are a synthetic organism......Very similar to an amoeba.
If you are a molecular biologist that also believes in evolution, then you would believe that the artificial cell with predetermined properties would eventually evolve into something that is not pre-deterimined. And if you were an ethical molecular biologist that also believes in evolution, you would realize that this is not a good thing.
LOL!!! I left the thread, and got it about a minute later. Genius!!
~~~~
Actually, a line from Star Wars comes to mind:
"I've got a bad feeling about this..."
This just proves life began naturally.
Indeed!
Better a “B grade” sci-fi vibration than my first thought when I misread the title.
Indeed!
I just designed a self-replicating post.
I just designed a self-replicating post.
"The "orgasmatron" is a fictional device in the fictional future society of 2173 in the Woody Allen movie Sleeper. It is a large cylinder big enough to contain one or two people. ... Once entered, it contains some (otherwise undescribed) future technology that rapidly induces orgasms. This is required, as almost all people in the Sleeper universe are impotent or frigid, although males of Italian descent are considered the least impotent of all groups."
Very Funny.
Lol! Sorry, I misread “synthetic organism” as “synthetic ORGASM”!
I knew what you meant.
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.