Behold! We have created life! Sort of.
Kroisistan
29-06-2007, 20:20
BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6251910.stm)
Dr Craig Venter says in the Science journal that his team successfully transplanted an entire genome from one bacterium cell to another.
He says he hopes eventually to use the technique to create designer microbes, which could produce artificial fuel or help clean up toxic waste.
The ultimate plan is to stitch together artificial chromosomes, proteins and other building blocks with the aim of jumpstarting their designer microbe to life. But Dr Venter concedes that this may be a long way away, but he says he has taken an important key step towards that goal.
A major step in that direction nonetheless. Now personally, while I see the obvious dangers associated with this new technology, I see nothing wrong with exploiting it to good ends.
What do you think? Is this a great advance for mankind, or are we crossing one of those lines man was not meant to cross again?
Oh, and if you could create any organism you wanted... what would it be? I want the artificial fuel organism. Fill up your tank with microbes and enjoy that J-curve growth! I'd never pay $40 to fill up my car again.
Photovoltaic bacteria, converting sunlight to electricity.
The Blaatschapen
29-06-2007, 20:27
Photovoltaic bacteria, converting sunlight to electricity.
That's some enlightening and shocking discovery :p
Lord Raug
29-06-2007, 20:27
Like all technology it depends how it is used. It can be very beneficial for instances design a organism that feeds on CO2 and dumps biodiesel. That should make everyone happy lower CO2 levels and have cheap fuel.
It could be used for malicious intentions as well like spreading a disease.
I also expect at some point someone will claim that scientist are playing God and that this is immoral.
Personally I think this is awesome and could be a huge step forward for mankind.
Like all technology it depends how it is used. It can be very beneficial for instances design a organism that feeds on CO2 and dumps biodiesel. That should make everyone happy lower CO2 levels and have cheap fuel.
It could be used for malicious intentions as well like spreading a disease.
I also expect at some point someone will claim that scientist are playing God and that this is immoral.
Personally I think this is awesome and could be a huge step forward for mankind.
Why create a disease from scratch when there are so many nasty ones ready made? Take TB for instance, just bombard a few thousand generations of it with antibiotics and you've got a very very fatal disease that spreads through the air easily. Perfect for weaponization.
Lord Raug
29-06-2007, 20:34
Why create a disease from scratch when there are so many nasty ones ready made? Take TB for instance, just bombard a few thousand generations of it with antibiotics and you've got a very very fatal disease that spreads through the air easily. Perfect for weaponization.
But whats to stop someone from taking Ebola and combining it with the common cold? That would make TB seem like a huge joke.
I want a super virus to purge the world of the infidels. All hail the great Zuul!
Am i doin it rite?
Kroisistan
29-06-2007, 20:36
I want a super virus to purge the world of the infidels. All hail the great Zuul!
Am i doin it rite?
No, it's Cthulhu. We need to purge the infidels in the name of Cthulhu.
Cthulhu - Why choose the lesser of two evils?
Edit - I see you've seen the light in your sig. Go with Cthulhu.
South Lizasauria
29-06-2007, 20:38
BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6251910.stm)
A major step in that direction nonetheless. Now personally, while I see the obvious dangers associated with this new technology, I see nothing wrong with exploiting it to good ends.
What do you think? Is this a great advance for mankind, or are we crossing one of those lines man was not meant to cross again?
Oh, and if you could create any organism you wanted... what would it be? I want the artificial fuel organism. Fill up your tank with microbes and enjoy that J-curve growth! I'd never pay $40 to fill up my car again.
I think that bigots are going to misuse this technology to change skin colors or traits or "undesirables". This technology better be under lock and key because we're screwed if it gets in the wrong hands.
No, it's Cthulhu. We need to purge the infidels in the name of Cthulhu.
Cthulhu - Why choose the lesser of two evils?
Edit - I see you've seen the light in your sig. Go with Cthulhu.
Cthulhu could do it himself. He doesn't need humans to create supervirus's. He can travel through dimensions. DIMENSIONS!
Which is just one of many reasons to vote for him in 2008!
Kroisistan
29-06-2007, 20:43
I think that bigots are going to misuse this technology to change skin colors or traits or "undesirables". This technology better be under lock and key because we're screwed if it gets in the wrong hands.
That's not the impression I got. The article says the scientists want to create new, designer life to serve our needs.
Granted there is genetic technology being developed that conceivably could be used to the ends you worry about, and that's some scary stuff, but this isn't it.
It's a huge step forward, and it should be pursued with full force. There are, of course, risks to the technology, but hopefully we will be able to use it and develop it in a way that is capable of containing the risks. It's possible a whole new generation of medicines and antibiotics will be developed to combat disease thanks to this technology.
We could reengineer the bacteria in our bodies to enhance protection against disease, increase the efficiency of digestion and possibly even combat things like ulcers, stomach cancer, colon cancer, and a host of other GI disorders.
Call to power
29-06-2007, 20:55
does this mean were finally going to combine trees with firemen to save time?
but just imagine if all that power got into the wrong hands!
Northern Borders
29-06-2007, 20:57
Ill become really impressed when they manage to get all the minimun number of gen needed for a cell to remain alive, gather all these gen from diferent cells, get them inside a cell without a nucleus, and make all those gen together into a new cromossome and make the cell functional.
The Superior States
29-06-2007, 21:04
Something that converts urine into electricity.
No, it's Cthulhu. We need to purge the infidels in the name of Cthulhu.
Cthulhu - Why choose the lesser of two evils?
Edit - I see you've seen the light in your sig. Go with Cthulhu.
No, no, no. Cthulhu doesn't want the infidels purged. He wants them pureed.
Deus Ex Machina, here we come!
Oh, and if you could create any organism you wanted... what would it be? I want the artificial fuel organism. Fill up your tank with microbes and enjoy that J-curve growth! I'd never pay $40 to fill up my car again.Well, you can't just make something out of nothing, so you would have to fill up your car with bacteria food instead, and then wait for them to turn it into fuel. Maybe make bacteria that collects any organic matter in the car(dandruff, forgotten food etc.) and ferments it, and then a destillery that turns it into useful alcohol. Probably to complicated for the reward you get though. Atleast you would have a clean car. ;)
But whats to stop someone from taking Ebola and combining it with the common cold? That would make TB seem like a huge joke.Well, there's a slight difference between a virus and a bacteria, though it might be easier to do on a virus, since they're even more primitive.:eek:
Lord Raug
29-06-2007, 22:18
Well, there's a slight difference between a virus and a bacteria, though it might be easier to do on a virus, since they're even more primitive.:eek:
From my understanding of biology which is very limited viruses are not living but they do contain genetic material. Meaning that what they have just accomplished could be used to turn a bacteria into the equivalent of Ebola. And personally an Ebola that can spread through the air scares me.
From my understanding of biology which is very limited viruses are not living but they do contain genetic material. Meaning that what they have just accomplished could be used to turn a bacteria into the equivalent of Ebola. And personally an Ebola that can spread through the air scares me.
But why would they do this?
New Limacon
29-06-2007, 22:35
The problem, of course, is that designer bacteria will cost almost twice as much as generic brands, even though they're practically the same.
Brachiosaurus
29-06-2007, 22:48
BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6251910.stm)
A major step in that direction nonetheless. Now personally, while I see the obvious dangers associated with this new technology, I see nothing wrong with exploiting it to good ends.
What do you think? Is this a great advance for mankind, or are we crossing one of those lines man was not meant to cross again?
Oh, and if you could create any organism you wanted... what would it be? I want the artificial fuel organism. Fill up your tank with microbes and enjoy that J-curve growth! I'd never pay $40 to fill up my car again.
How is this new? They've been doing this for a while.
You are still not creating a new life form from scratch. You're just altering already existing life forms.