This story is archived
Synthetic DNA on the Brink of Yielding New Life Forms »
Posted by: Beau7890 1 year, 12 months agoResearchers 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.
Read Full Story at washingtonpost.com »
Submitted By:
Beau7890
A chicken walks into a bar holding a violin case. He’s wearing a chrysanthemum in his lapel. He sits down at the mahogany bar ...
Who Also Submitted:
This Story is Archived and Commenting is Closed
Comments: 136
-
-
panzerv
Dec. 17, 2007, 9:54 a.m.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!
-
Goppy
Dec. 17, 2007, 10:08 a.m.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.
-
Goppy
Dec. 17, 2007, 10:20 a.m.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?
-
quackpot
Dec. 17, 2007, 11:10 a.m.Bactreria like that have been around for millions of years - that's why land fills have pipes to let off the methane that is generated.
-
Gransater
Dec. 17, 2007, 11:18 a.m.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?
-
jovial
Dec. 17, 2007, 12:22 p.m.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.
-
afoaf
Dec. 17, 2007, 12:42 p.m.maybe they can genetically engineer a human that lacks the innate need to latch on to the FSM.
-
crespi
Dec. 17, 2007, 12:45 p.m.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.
-
Lazloe
Dec. 17, 2007, 3:31 p.m.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?
-
baddad59Comment has been removed: Retracted by user
-
MeanMotherUSA
Dec. 17, 2007, 3:49 p.m.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
-
cloud15
Dec. 17, 2007, 3:56 p.m.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.
-
wolfkinder
Dec. 17, 2007, 4:01 p.m.Which is why one has to wonder.... If SpongeBob is a synthetic sponge, why are his parents seasponges? Hmmmmm???
-
splitrch
Dec. 17, 2007, 5:47 p.m.Sounds a little like the Andromeda Strain. If you haven't seen the movie I recommend it.
-
NemoShiZniTComment has been removed: Spammer
-
rdy2rckComment has been removed: Hard Banned
-
-
-
Ricksfaith
Dec. 17, 2007, 7:18 p.m.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!
-
BuffaloJ
Dec. 17, 2007, 7:31 p.m.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? :)
-
-
-
truthiness
Dec. 17, 2007, 9:10 p.m.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)
-
pismo
Dec. 17, 2007, 9:25 p.m.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.
-
KYRed
Dec. 17, 2007, 11:18 p.m.Maybe we can create some sort of hybrid. Something to the right of the democrats and something to the left of the republicans. Oh, yes. An American.
-
kedirian
Dec. 18, 2007, midnightIf 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?
-
keytohealth
Dec. 18, 2007, 4:21 a.m.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.
-
MeanMotherUSA
Dec. 18, 2007, 5:46 p.m.12-18-07...
keytohealth... Comments: EXCELLENTLY DONE!
Etal: You Should Publish...
MeanMotherUSA
-
-
The first 133 comments are shown. Show all 136 comments »
Submit a Story
Advertisement
