Creating New Life Forms

[razorsharp]

<p>

Craig Venter, the controversial DNA researcher involved in the race to decipher the human genetic code, has built a synthetic chromosome out of laboratory chemicals and is poised to announce the creation of the first new artificial life form on Earth.

</p>

<p>Is this cool science or just plain creepy?</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/oct/06/genetics.climatechange[/url]”>http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/oct/06/genetics.climatechange&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[paying3tuitions]

<p>My son claimed the same thing when he cleaned out his high school locker before graduation.</p>

[1of42]

<p>Very, very cool science. Like all very cool science, has its dangers, but is nonetheless very cool.</p>

[BunsenBurner]

<p>I’ll wait to make any judgements on this until it is published in a peer-reviewed journal (if it is this good, it will be on the cover of Nature or Science). Some things in this magazine article do not make much sense to me.</p>

<p>Dr. Venter is a very ambitious guy. I just saw a blurb in the local paper that he wants to re-sequence his DNA, and with the advanced sequencing technologies it will now cost ca. 500K vs 60M that was spent on the human genome project a few years ago.</p>

<p>Paying3tuitions, I think a saw a few mutant creatures crawling out of my D’s sports bag today, too :)</p>

[BunsenBurner]

<p>Now he says MRSA is more dangerous than his new life forms:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/23/wmrsa123.xml[/url]”>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/23/wmrsa123.xml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;