Have a read of this - Artificial Life!!!!

Scientist claims to have created artificial life.

Saturday Oct 6 16:00 AEST

By ninemsn staff

A controversial scientist claims to have created a new form of artificial life by building a synthetic chromosome out of laboratory chemicals.

In a move certain to provoke fierce ethical debate, DNA researcher Craig Venter is expected to announce that his team of scientists has successfully implanted the artificial chromosome into a bacterial cell, The Guardian reported.

The US-based scientists have "stitched" together 381 genes, based on the DNA sequence of the bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium, a parasitic organism which can cause urinary tract infections.

The bacterium's already-small genome has been stripped back in the construction of the artificial chromosome, leaving only the material essential to support life.

Once the reconstructed chromosome is transplanted into its bacteria host, it will take control of the bacteria and become, essentially, a new form of life.

But the new life form, named the Mycoplasma laboratorium, will still depend on its host's existing properties to replicate itself and metabolise.

Mr Venter told The Guardian that he believed the project was "a very important philosophical step in the history of our species".

"We are going from reading our genetic code to the ability to write it. That gives us the hypothetical ability to do things never contemplated before," he said.

He said he had carried out an ethical review before embarking on the project, and talked up possible designer genome advances, including carbon-dioxide eating bacteria to combat global warming.

"We feel that this is good science," he said.

Good idea or not?

It scares the crap out of me, because besides the good there's always the bad.

Nienke

It scares the crap out of me, because besides the good there's always the bad.

Nienke

And the un-anticipated!

Most of the cures in the world wouldn't be around now, if wasn't for scientists messing about with nature. I say go for it. Who knows, one day they might have a cure for women, against my devilish good looks

Most of the cures in the world wouldn't be around now, if wasn't for scientists messing about with nature. I say go for it. Who knows, one day they might have a cure for women, against my devilish good looks

Now there is an idea that might balance the books - an artificial women!

Now there is an idea that might balance the books - an artificial women!

Its called a blowup doll.

Its called a blowup doll.

Boonie could have a field day with that comment ..... mind how you go

With regards to artificial life, what is artificial?

If man was able to replicate the scenario that created life on this planet, would that be artificial? ..... no, it wouldn't, it would just be replicating a past event.

Is mucking about with existing life creating artificial life? .... no it isn't .... and it scares the shit out of me.

I've suspected as much for some time. There are things that sit round the bars in Pattaya that have never seen the insides of a humanoid that's for certain.

I've suspected as much for some time. There are things that sit round the bars in Pattaya that have never seen the insides of a humanoid that's for certain.

I've sat around Pattaya bars and I've never seen the inside of a humanoid.

When I was very young I nearly saw the inside of a human, but I kept my eyes shut.

I gotta admit I'm very nervous of people, no matter how educated or careful they are, messing around with life. You can never predict what mutations will occur during the ensuing generations.

Anyway Steven Hawkins says man has created artificial life in the form of computer viruses (viri?). Thatthey are nothin but destructive is a damming indictment of the human race.

It's impossible to stop development going this way. What scares me the most is not so much the fact that this is being done.

The scariest thing to me is that it is possible for commercial enterprises to patent ideas like this. How far until they literally can own parts of our bodies?

Starting with the obligatory "with all due respect", you've all been watching too much Sci-Fi, or believing too many tabloids.

Wasn't there a threat of "brown goo" (or something) from nanotechnology a few years ago? Far from being uninhabitable for thousands of years, Chernobyl is now supposed to be teaming full of life.

The fact that this thread exists means we're all aware of the risks - good stuff, but I generally side towards the scientists nowadays when they say this stuff will be beneficial.