Synthetic DNA on the Brink of Yielding New Life Forms

[Quixote1818]

It has been 50 years since scientists first created DNA in a test tube, stitching ordinary chemical ingredients together to make life's most extraordinary molecule. Until recently, however, even the most sophisticated laboratories could make only small snippets of DNA -- an extra gene or two to be inserted into corn plants, for example, to help the plants ward off insects or tolerate drought.

Now researchers are poised to cross a dramatic barrier: the creation of life forms driven by completely artificial DNA.

Scientists in Maryland have already built the world's first entirely handcrafted chromosome -- a large looping strand of DNA made from scratch in a laboratory, containing all the instructions a microbe needs to live and reproduce.

In the coming year, they hope to transplant it into a cell, where it is expected to "boot itself up," like software downloaded from the Internet, and cajole the waiting cell to do its bidding. And while the first synthetic chromosome is a plagiarized version of a natural one, others that code for life forms that have never existed before are already under construction.

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/16/AR2007121601900_pf.html

[gulfcoastliberal]

1. I'm not sure I like that

I'm not religious, but I do believe ignore inconvenient scientific facts, like that we don't live sustainably and thus are causing planetary ecocide due to ignoring how fossil fuels altered the atmosphere. There have been practically zero investigations of the safety of nanoparticles escaping into air and water, and GE foods crossbreeding with wild plants. Now they want to create previously unknown synthetic microbes. How safe is that?

[Occam Bandage]

2. Another small yet amazing step.

[lapfog_1]

3. Where is our Ian Malcolm???

We need someone to question whether we SHOULD do something before we actually DO it.

[Quixote1818]

4. I think the pandora's box has already been opened

Or should I say. The box of pandora's? The cat is out of bag! There is no turning back now.

There has to be a few more sayings to go with this.

[BlueJazz]

5. Ah...Do you think they could make this for me??

[Quixote1818]

7. Absolutely

However the skin of such a subject may feel and smell similar to Bree Cheese, the hair may tend to fall out in chunks, thought processes will be similar to a tape worm and her eyes may have a tendency to go cross-eyed. At least until they work the bugs out.

[BlueJazz]

9. Hey...I do believe you've met the last Girlfriend I had......

:)

[TransitJohn]

6. Anyone ever think

that one day we'll be the gray aliens abducting other planets' lifeforms for the ol' anal probe?

[Quixote1818]

8. Future Humans

http://www.worth1000.com/emailthis.asp?entry=297303

Guess I will have to link it.

[Ghost in the Machine]

10. Damn! You *almost* let the cat out of the bag! It's a good thing you didn't mention

the fact that all these UFO "abductions" where people claim that they were probed are actually government experiments and a way to steal your DNA for further testing and experimentation. That's also why there's such a strong denial about, and coverup of, UFO existence. They're actually top secret government aircraft and they can't let anyone find out. Of course, the ones that claim to have been abducted are labeled "crazies" or "loonies" as a part of the coverup story and conspiracy.

Oooops! Did I say too much??

:evilgrin:

Ghost

P.S. Hey... *someone's* got to keep feeding the conspiracy theorists, right?

[Lasher]

11. Aw, this has already been done before.

[Adsos Letter]

12. ...um...

this gives me cause for pause:

~snip~

"In the coming year, they hope to transplant it into a cell, where it is expected to "boot itself up," like software downloaded from the Internet, and cajole the waiting cell to do its bidding."

~snip~

Um...what are the chances of this resulting in that most wonderful internet download phenomenon...malware...?

:shrug:

[JFN1]

13. Wow

There is a book by David Brin called "Kiln People." Sounds like this technology could take us there...scary stuff...

Thanks for the great post!!

[AdHocSolver]

14. These "scientific" experiments with genetic engineering and DNA brings to mind Dr. Mengele.

When the first intelligent life forms reach earth from Alpha Centauri (or wherever) in a couple of hundred years (or whenever), they will have an interesting challenge to figure out why an inhabitable planet like earth was devoid of living creatures, and full of fossils of grotesque life forms.

These genetic engineers are at about a third grade level of understanding of what they are dealing with. This planet has enough problems dealing with global climate change and the horrendous pollution problems that are destroying species and creating large numbers of nonviable mutations. Yet these toddlers are given huge sums of money to play with dynamite that may give some rich person a chance to make even more money, no matter what the consequences to the rest of us.

[Quixote1818]

15. It kind of reminds me of figuring out how to split the atom

A little bit too much knowledge for the good of mankind.