This is the biggest leap forward in genetic engineering thus far and light years ahead of where I thought we were in regards to this field.

Interesting thanks for posting this!!!!

This is a huge leap in regards to genetic engineering, when I seen the headline my head asploded I didn't think it was real. This research could be revolutionary in nearly all fields of medicine and even in the field of computer technology.

Just think we could engineer biological brains for robots AI ready and preprogrammed ready to go etc.

is it just me or does anyone else gravely fear for the future?

I fear for the future but not from this research though check out my post Could 'Soylent Green' become a reality?

Chances are and I hope things turn around is that most of us won't survive the next 20 to 40 years.

That is awesome. Much faster than I thought possible, really.

This is extremely good and amazingly great. If it is possible to create artificial organisms then we could also be able to create artificial organs and limbs. Just think now we can replace all of the limbs of the people of whom have had amputations. And furthermore all the people who need organs now all we have to do is just make them.

This is amazing. It is a very simple form of life, but give them a few years.


I thought we were close to doing that already, using Stem-Cells and cloning style technology. Isn't that why they offer to save the cells from the umbilical when a child is born, for possible transplant in the future.

The creation of an artificial life form deeply disturbs me. I am all for using this to further medical studies but still...

Great find!!

Be interested to see what happens when they do transplant the synthetic DNA. Will the bacterium 'live' or will it be like putting a block of steel where an engine should be in a car?

Your right that is mind exploding stuff. My only fear is how other life forms will react to this new artificial life form, it could possible react badly and destroy all other forms of life.

I have mixed feelings about this - or at least about Venters methodology. I (and everyone else) was astounded at how quickly the Human Genome was mapped - this was partly pushed by Venters team and their brilliance, but, as we found out later, Venter cut some fairly important corners in order to "be the first". I think in the area of cutting edge tech, researchers are often under pressure to get a result, which can cause methodolgy to suffer. This tech has the potential to change the path of humanity. We need to be careful. Very, very careful.

Great find. I expect this will make a huge diference to the way people view things now. (if this becomes mainstream news)..

Robots to do eveything possible?

Poor creationists.

There goes their argument that because life can't be created in a lab, it could not possibly be normal chemistry and therefore must have been created by a higher being.


This was one of their favourite arguments. :-(

Ah, but wouldn't that actually support their claim in a back-handed sort of way - that it takes intelligent intervention to create life?
I don't think God is threatened - amused maybe, not threatened. Personally I find this kind of thing frightening and arrogant.
I think some good will come of it AND some disaster.

Excellent! I've been following this work for years... amazing that it can be done already!

Yes of course. Creationists will want it both ways. They will twist the words around and argue something is proof of their case no matter what the outcome.

Sorry to burst everyone's bubble... but they didn't create a new lifeform. What they DID do was make an artificial chromosome - a liner piece of DNA that is copied and retained in a cell during cell division. Basically they made the smallest possible chromosome that won't degrade during cell division and will be distributed correctly because it has the correct recognition points.

Any questions, message me sometime, I am a biology major and have studied genetics for years.

Hey Torgo
I read the other day that they hadn't actually done it yet - is that true? They are publishing some time next month?

I believe someone has made a MINIMAL bacteria, but not from scratch - as in they removed genes one by one from an *existing* bacterium until they had the minimum that it required to survive. This will provide invaluable information on what is needed to produce a living thing if we ever get that far. That being said its a whole lot easier to take pieces of the genomes of existing organisms than to produce something new de novo.

One thing I DO know is that a virus has been produced entirely artificially. Some researchers downloaded the DNA sequence of the polio virus and ordered fragments of DNA from a biotech company that when strung together would make the entire sequence. They then put this assembled genome into a solution of amino acids, nucleotides, ribosomes and enzymes. It made fully functional viruses that actually infected mice in experiments. Granted this is a virus and nowhere near as complicated as a bacterium, and they used an already existing one as a template... but still awesome.