Scientists Create New Life Form in Lab

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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.

The announcement, which is expected within weeks and could come as early as Monday at the annual meeting of his scientific institute in San Diego, California, will herald a giant leap forward in the development of designer genomes. It is certain to provoke heated debate about the ethics of creating new species and could unlock the door to new energy sources and techniques to combat global warming.

Mr Venter told the Guardian he thought this landmark would be "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".

The Guardian can reveal that a team of 20 top scientists assembled by Mr Venter, led by the Nobel laureate Hamilton Smith, has already constructed a synthetic chromosome, a feat of virtuoso bio-engineering never previously achieved. Using lab-made chemicals, they have painstakingly stitched together a chromosome that is 381 genes long and contains 580,000 base pairs of genetic code.

The DNA sequence is based on the bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium which the team pared down to the bare essentials needed to support life, removing a fifth of its genetic make-up. The wholly synthetically reconstructed chromosome, which the team have christened Mycoplasma laboratorium, has been watermarked with inks for easy recognition.

It is then transplanted into a living bacterial cell and in the final stage of the process it is expected to take control of the cell and in effect become a new life form. The team of scientists has already successfully transplanted the genome of one type of bacterium into the cell of another, effectively changing the cell's species. Mr Venter said he was "100% confident" the same technique would work for the artificially created chromosome.

The new life form will depend for its ability to replicate itself and metabolise on the molecular machinery of the cell into which it has been injected, and in that sense it will not be a wholly synthetic life form. However, its DNA will be artificial, and it is the DNA that controls the cell and is credited with being the building block of life.

Mr Venter said he had carried out an ethical review before completing the experiment. "We feel that this is good science," he said. He has further heightened the controversy surrounding his potential breakthrough by applying for a patent for the synthetic bacterium.

Pat Mooney, director of a Canadian bioethics organisation, ETC group, said the move was an enormous challenge to society to debate the risks involved. "Governments, and society in general, is way behind the ball. This is a wake-up call - what does it mean to create new life forms in a test-tube?"

He said Mr Venter was creating a "chassis on which you could build almost anything. It could be a contribution to humanity such as new drugs or a huge threat to humanity such as bio-weapons".

Mr Venter believes designer genomes have enormous positive potential if properly regulated. In the long-term, he hopes they could lead to alternative energy sources previously unthinkable. Bacteria could be created, he speculates, that could help mop up excessive carbon dioxide, thus contributing to the solution to global warming, or produce fuels such as butane or propane made entirely from sugar.

"We are not afraid to take on things that are important just because they stimulate thinking," he said. "We are dealing in big ideas. We are trying to create a new value system for life. When dealing at this scale, you can't expect everybody to be happy."
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Alright, not a full reveal of the new life form, but still interesting.
 
Well shit, this is gonna be fun.

I have no clue why, but I have a feeling this isn't gonna be good. Probably just from an ethical standpoint and how people will react.
 
Reading the last few paragraphs, I believe that this is more likely to be abused than be used properly, seeing what history has already shown us.
 
Oh good, just what we need; a way to make highly contagious, incredibly deadly, and uncurable bacterial desease. Gee, thanks guys.
 
Eh, Kahn had to flee the Earth in a sleeper ship, was found by the Enterprise, and was ultimately killed by the Enterprise. Pretty good for plain old unadulterated DNA.
 
too bad we probably won't be able to alter our own DNA during our lifetimes.. i would kill for a mean set of wings.. or little windscreen wipers on my eyeballs.. well.. maybe just the first
 
I for one am excited about it. I think this is a good step to go. We are that much closer to creating real pokemon. I wish.
 
That would be cool.

I can see it now, worlds ethics committees going beserk over someone genetically engineering pokemon.
It would be great having pokemon in this world.. Lets hope that those scientists can move on from simple RNA/DNA structures, to a cell, organs, organisms etc soon, cos I want to see a real pokemon before I die.
 
Well, you'd better hope they come up with a way to make you immortal, because that's about the only way you're gonna see that.
 
Actually, I think real Pokemon could be possible at some point in the future. I would really like for that to happen too. ^^

If scientests created an animal/creature or found a way that an already existing one could control one type of power like Grass/Fire/Water/Electricity, that'd be awesome!!


I mean, all they'd have to do is make sure that Pokemon attacks aren't that powerful and don't hurt people very much (in the anime the strength of those attacks is exaggerated). Or they could make it so that Pokemon in the wild will only attack other Pokemon.

If they encounter humans, they would just act friendly towards them. Which would lead to people wanting to keep Pokemon as pets....

Of course, if they created Pokemon, then they would have to create Pokeballs too. LOL. XD
 
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Well, if its gonna take that long, maybe there needs to be VR.

Pokemon VR, an RPG adventure. Meet the characters, catch the pokemon..
It's like a dream or something!
 
From an ethical view point this is...Ehhh...>_>

From a Religious view point, this is a riot waiting to happen. (Good thing that the Catholic Church does not hear about things like this until it becomes a fad *cough* Pokemon *cough*).

From a Scientific view point it is amazing =D


Humanity is screwed.
 
Krucifier said:
From a Religious view point, this is a riot waiting to happen. (Good thing that the Catholic Church does not hear about things like this until it becomes a fad *cough* Pokemon *cough*).
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I have my doubts on this one. While the Catholics might go nuts, I think a lot of more common-sense Christians will be harder pressed to consider this issue as a significant religious one just yet (at least, not in the sense that it would throw anyone's religious beliefs into doubt). A significant ethical one, naturally, as it involves a scientist attempting to play god, but not a significant religious one.

The reason- the main religious issues I've seen regarding genetics involve evolution and whether or not a living creature can come into existence without the involvement of either an existing life form or intelligent guidance. No evolution is occurring. The creation of the chromosome and the augmentation of the bacteria are both guided entirely by human intelligence. And the bacteria augmented is an already-existing life form. So in regards to evolution and the origins of life, this experiment is entirely a non-issue.
 
Poké-iddy said:
That would be cool.

I can see it now, worlds ethics committees going beserk over someone genetically engineering pokemon.
It would be great having pokemon in this world.. Lets hope that those scientists can move on from simple RNA/DNA structures, to a cell, organs, organisms etc soon, cos I want to see a real pokemon before I die.
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Keep dreaming....More than likely, its gonna make an artificial disease, or KAHHHNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK, enough star trek references, though yea, that would be cool...If it ever does happen.
 
PokemonTrainerLisa said:
Actually, I think real Pokemon could be possible at some point in the future. I would really like for that to happen too. ^^

If scientests created an animal/creature or found a way that an already existing one could control one type of power like Grass/Fire/Water/Electricity, that'd be awesome!!


I mean, all they'd have to do is make sure that Pokemon attacks aren't that powerful and don't hurt people very much (in the anime the strength of those attacks is exaggerated). Or they could make it so that Pokemon in the wild will only attack other Pokemon.

If they encounter humans, they would just act friendly towards them. Which would lead to people wanting to keep Pokemon as pets....

Of course, if they created Pokemon, then they would have to create Pokeballs too. LOL. XD
Click to expand...
LOL that would be awesome if it ever happens. I would like that to happen too LOL
 
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