Synthetic DNA on the Brink of Yielding New Life Forms »
Posted By Beau7890 1 year, 10 months ago in Science & TechnologyResearchers are poised to cross a dramatic barrier: the creation of life forms driven by completely artificial DNA. Scientists in Maryland have already built the world's first entirely handcrafted chromosome -- a large looping strand of DNA made from scratch in a laboratory, containing all the instructions a microbe needs to live and reproduce.
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GregD1 year, 10 months ago
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Beau78901 year, 10 months ago
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I'm a little afraid of it myself. Are we really aware of all the implications of introducing new life forms into our ecological system? Is it even possible for us to predict them? What if the artificial life forms mutate into something more dangerous?
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panzerv1 year, 10 months ago
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Is this where the world turns into Blade Runner for real?
Huge corporations will be making artificial people that may be better than the real thing? The implications of that are staggering, because I have a feeling that's the first thing the government would want them to embark upon. Oh sure grow your worms, and bugs, and dinosaurs, get it right on that stuff, then make us some super soldiers! I can't imagine what could be done growing something from scratch. Very Scary!
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tkyrchncs1 year, 10 months ago
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Assuming, of course, that you could actually get enough of a staff together for the minimum required 18-20 yrs, and that they could agree what exactly was "better", what in the world would be wrong with making better people? Or any other better living thing? Where is basic the basic philosophical problem?
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Goppy1 year, 10 months ago
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I dont liek this talk bout DNA.
As any body knows, Man was created by God. He did it by puttin carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and so on and so forth - plus a little H20, all into a giant martini mixer - shook it (not stirred) - popped off the lid and VOILA - out slid a slightly tipsy man named Adam.
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Goppy1 year, 10 months ago
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This story makes me wonder.
I hear that if you disassemble all the cells of a sea sponge, then dump them into a solution, - they will find their way back together and build themselfs into a sponge again.
You ken do this again and again and again - and the cells will always reassemble and build themselfs into a sponge!
So - readin this article, Im wonderin if these synthetic dnas will could be built into a synthetic sponge - chopped up - and then reassemble themselfs into a synthetic sponge - liek the kind we buy at the store?
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Gransater1 year, 10 months ago
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As with any technology, I can envision a multitude of really great applications from this research. Its potential, once the initial difficulties are overcome, are problably beyond even the people now working on it.
Unfortunately, the same is also true on the possibilities of using the technology with intent to do harm. Of course, now we will have to define harm, as it will be perceived from diferent angles by diferent people.
My question is whether there is anyone alive today that is ready and able to play God, for the true benefit of mankind, and not their own pocketbook.
Is our society, with our present moral disagreements, ready to tackle some even more fundamental questions about what is and what is not life, and, who is going to be the mediator/judge?
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tkyrchncs1 year, 10 months ago
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What is and is not life is already about as blurry as it can be. Are DNA viruses live? How about retro-viruses? Prions? People are just not commonly educated enough to understand that there are essentially "degrees" of life" NOW. You can't make a Life pile and a Non-living pile and put everything in one pile or the other. As to making moral decisions, the answer is no, we are not consistently capable. We don't even do it with softballs, jack-rocks, or chalk. But that is no reason to stop.
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jovial1 year, 10 months ago
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What I fear is that with this knowledge new forms of viruses can be developed for biological warfare. Actually it's already been done. It is imperative that this technology be used responsibly or this time we could destroy ourselves. The nuclear bomb would pale in comparison to a new easily spread "supervirus" built upon a new synthetic DNA.
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SpazMat1 year, 10 months ago
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I agree with you right up to:
"The nuclear bomb would pale in comparison to a new easily spread "supervirus" built upon a new synthetic DNA."
We are to ignorant of the systemic design laws to be able to purposefully make a really good bio weapon from scratch. It is really much easier to take a preexisting model and add on some bells and whistles.
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crespi1 year, 10 months ago
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It worries me.
Viruses will find this COMPLETELY NEW host-environment in which they will surely mutate.
If viruses changes in this unnatural host too much WE might not have any defenses to it and could end up all dead like the resistance-less invaders in "War of the Worlds."
We should be trying to understand the network of the living things that are here (and quickly dying for eternity thanks to us humans) and not be creating Frankenstein.
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quackpot1 year, 10 months ago
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The era of genetic engineering is over 30 years old. Enormous medical advances are are directly attributable to genetic engineering.
Nearly ALL of modern genetics ("the network of living things") is possible only because of this 30-plus-year history of genetic engineering.
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Lazloe1 year, 10 months ago
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Joeblowe has a problem with Canada. I wonder how many of their fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters have been sent into government screwed up war zones and have never returned. There is something to be said about the peaceful nature of Canadians.
If we keep tampering with the experimental works to create a new strain of humanoids, how long do you think the natural species will be around?
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MeanMotherUSA1 year, 10 months ago
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12-17-07...
We Don't Have Enough Illegals Mexicanos (CHEAP LABOR WORK FORCE) Breeding Like Rabbits,i.e.TRASH BIN BABIES...
Los Angelese Sleazy Mexi-Fornia They Poop Them Out Throw Baby's In Trash Bins...
Really: You All Ought Come Live Here Get Education On What Life Is All About...
MeanMotherUSA
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tkyrchncs1 year, 10 months ago
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I pushed the Report button, but decided to respond instead. Quit your bellyachin' and take in a pregnant homeless girl. Open your heart and your mind. Learn Spanish. Most of us already know what life is all about. Do you want to be part of the solution, or just continue to be part of the problem? You give yourself a very aggressive screen name, but you can't hold a candle to Mother Nature, who is mother to us all, so sh1tcan all the whining, purile crap and get with the program.
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cloud151 year, 10 months ago
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I don't know what to think of this, it is very interesting and has endless possibilities, but those possibilities are both good and bad. Genetically creating microbes that can fight diseases or cure cancer would be amazing, but at the same time you have I Am Legend where they genetically altered polio to cure cancer and boom, vampire zombies take over the world.
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NemoShiZniTComment removed: Spammer
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Ricksfaith1 year, 10 months ago
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As I see here in all the postings is that we somwhat agree that we are not ready to create life in any form. Hell, we can't seem to manage what we have already. Just look around the world and see what state it is in at this moment.
There are already problems with genitically engineered products and crops that aren't known to the general public. What about that live dna stuff that is proposed to put on certian foods (fresh meats, processed deli meats,etc,) with no labeling to controll other live pathonogins that are supposed to be harmful? The producers of these organisms haven't researched enough data as to how it will affect the good organisms in our digestive tracts, but the FDA has it approved.
When it gets down to the bottom line it will be just like everything else, the pharmacutical cartels, the medical establishment or military. It won't make any difference how many people it kills as long as sombody on top is making the buck!
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BuffaloJ1 year, 10 months ago
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Hmmm, what if scientists can get to the point where they could make a human with this synthetic DNA technology? What if they could pretty much exactly design a human to the designers specificatons?
Wouldn't that give too much ammo to all the intelligent design wingnuts? :)
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truthiness1 year, 10 months ago
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a long time ago, when the galactic empire was very rich and tax free...(people were bored)... so the planet of magarethea began to engage in custom planet building....(blah blah blah).. "the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything is.. is... 42."
"After 7 and 1/2 mil. years that's all you could come up with!"
...(blah blah blah)..."the question will be discovered by the greatest computer in history of which I am unable to compute even its most basic functions but which I will design for you. It will be so complex that it will partially be made up of organic components and it will be called Earth. "
"Earth?"
"Rather drab name if you ask me"
-Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (sort of)
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pismo1 year, 10 months ago
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I think it's great work. Science must keep going forward despite the danger. We are living on an overcrowded planet with diminishing resources so unless we are willing to quit having babies and have the population size reverse then we have to embrace these new advances.
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kedirian1 year, 10 months ago
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If man can create viruses, bacteria, and ultimately organisms that can outproduce man himself, then.... sex is no longer only to propagate the race, which pretty well means the end of Judaeo-christian religions (with their emphasis on sex as a procreative necessity).
If man can create Life.... will murder still be a capital offense, or any offense and will abortion still be murder?
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keytohealth1 year, 10 months ago
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Vaccines been altering the DNA of us Humans for some time know. Injecting toxins, viruses into blood of babies. By six years old the child will receive 36 shots with 121 vaccines. Ingredients below may have been injected 121 times. Will child's DNA ever be the same?
Ingredients: Varicella virus/human diploid lung cells, Embryonic Guinea pig cell cultures, Beef heart infusion/fetal bovine serum, Ammonium Sulfate, Glutamate, Neomycin, Diphtheria, Tetanus Toxoids, & Acellular pertussis endotoxin,aluminum, formaldehyde, Thimerosal (mercury),... polysorbate80, dry natural latex rubber,Hepatitis B virus gene/yeast protein, Diphtheria Toxoid,Haemophilus influenza type b antigen, Neisseria meningitides serogroup B, Ammonia Sulfate,Dry natural latex rubber,Mumps virus/chick embryo culture, Rubella virus, Sorbitol/s... pneumonia/soy peptone broth/yeast,Polio virus/monkey kidney cell, phenol/phe... viginal spermecide.
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