Thursday 20 May 2010

Surely this can only be good news?

Scientists in the US have succeeded in developing the first synthetic living cell.

The researchers constructed a bacterium's "genetic software" and transplanted it into a host cell.

The resulting microbe then looked and behaved like the species "dictated" by the synthetic DNA.

Hurrah! What could possibly go wrong?

Hat-tip to Mr Stangroom

2 comments:

  1. Gregor 'ESB' Mendel20 May 2010 at 14:40

    I have it on good authority that it is only the genome that is synthetic and not the outer casing (rather like Gordon Brown some would say). But farmers have been creating new species for aeons now and look at the good that has done. Please also bare in mind that the head of the laboratories that created this (Dr Venter) was such an egotist that he liked to sail the world in a yacht who's sale was emblazoned with an image of his own smiling face....and that was not a pretty sight

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  2. Apparently the abominable Dr Venter has embedded his email address into the DNA. An egotist? Surely not!

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