Pentagon Looks to Breed Immortal ‘Synthetic Organisms’

[kpete]

Pentagon Looks to Breed Immortal ‘Synthetic Organisms,’ Molecular Kill-Switch Included

The Pentagon’s mad science arm may have come up with its most radical project yet. Darpa is looking to re-write the laws of evolution to the military’s advantage, creating “synthetic organisms” that can live forever — or can be killed with the flick of a molecular switch.

As part of its budget for the next year, Darpa is investing $6 million into a project called BioDesign, with the goal of eliminating “the randomness of natural evolutionary advancement.” The plan would assemble the latest bio-tech knowledge to come up with living, breathing creatures that are genetically engineered to “produce the intended biological effect.” Darpa wants the organisms to be fortified with molecules that bolster cell resistance to death, so that the lab-monsters can “ultimately be programmed to live indefinitely.”

Of course, Darpa’s got to prevent the super-species from being swayed to do enemy work — so they’ll encode loyalty right into DNA, by developing genetically programmed locks to create “tamper proof” cells. Plus, the synthetic organism will be traceable, using some kind of DNA manipulation, “similar to a serial number on a handgun.” And if that doesn’t work, don’t worry. In case Darpa’s plan somehow goes horribly awry, they’re also tossing in a last-resort, genetically-coded kill switch:

***** Develop strategies to create a synthetic organism “self-destruct” option to be implemented upon nefarious removal of organism.

The project comes as Darpa also plans to throw $20 million into a new synthetic biology program, and $7.5 million into “increasing by several decades the speed with which we sequence, analyze and functionally edit cellular genomes.”

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/02/pentagon-looks-to-breed-immortal-synthetic-organisms-molecular-kill-switch-included/#ixzz0ehMXWGVq


Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/02/pentagon-looks-to-breed-immortal-synthetic-organisms-molecular-kill-switch-included/#ixzz0ehMMRIsZ

[leftstreet]

1. I, Robot

[Demeter]

4. Without the Three Laws of Robotics

[Jamastiene]

2. I knew Cheney was the prototype for SOMETHING. n/t

[Demeter]

3. Aside from Being the Nightmare of Many a Sci-Fi Writer and Reader

this violates so many protocols and ethics systems within science and government and common sense as to be classified a potential crime against humanity.

[name not needed]

5. Anyone else read that as "synthetic orgasms"?

[Demeter]

6. In your dreams--That wouldn't be worth protesting

Love the sign!

[SpiralHawk]

7. This is anti-human RepubliconThink Materialism run amok

God save human beings from RepubliconThink.

[Laura902]

8. Sounds like a disgusting crime against the world n/t

[MercutioATC]

9. How many systems in the world are invulnerable to hacking?

“tamper proof” cells, my ass. If something can be encoded it can be decoded, altered, and re-encoded.

[atomic-fly]

10. nothing to go wrong with that...nt

[Skidmore]

11. This is just so wrong.

Why do I feel like saying, "Oh, frak"?

[Javaman]

12. Personally, I welcome our new Immortal Synthetic Organisms with a kill switch overlords.

come on, someone had to say it.