First Synthetic Cell manufactured

This could possibly become one of the most revolutionary advancements, ever. Even though the inception is small on scale, the horizon is quite vast and as you listen to the explanation from Craig Venter you can understand this breakthrough that they've just been able to manufacture.

Craig Venter and team make a historic announcement: they've created the first fully functioning, reproducing cell controlled by synthetic DNA. He explains how they did it and why the achievement marks the beginning of a new era for science.

Heralding a potential new era in biology, scientists for the first time have created a synthetic cell, completely controlled by man-made genetic instructions, researchers at the private J. Craig Venter Institute announced Thursday. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...152341984.html Tom Deerinck and Mark Ellisman, National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research, University of California, San Diego Scanning electron micrographs of M. mycoide "We call it the first synthetic cell," said genomics pioneer Craig Venter, who oversaw the project. "These are very much real cells." Created at a cost of $40 million, this experimental one-cell organism, which can reproduce, opens the way to the manipulation of life on a previously unattainable scale, several researchers and ethics experts said. Scientists have been altering DNA piecemeal for a generation, producing a menagerie of genetically engineered plants and animals. But the ability to craft an entire organism offers a new power over life, they said.

http://www.zdnet.com/photos/scientis...-photos/425927

This will be the key to making long carbon nanotubes AKA the key to the space elevator IMO. I invision an organism that excretes or somehow produces long carbon nanotubes much like a spider produces silk. Perhaps these organisms would even breathe carbon dioxide, helping to get rid of some of the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.

Yes, that could very well become reality in the near future. I was reading another article on this and within the next year or so they will possibly be able to make the flu vaccine synthetically, which is cool.

Catholic Church officials said Friday that the recently created first synthetic cell could be a positive development if correctly used, but warned scientists that only God can create life.

Well, that didn't take long.

And another:

Senior Catholic Bishops have expressed concern at the creation of the first synthetic living cell, which they said could be a "devastating" development. Biologist Dr Craig Venter in the US calims to have developed the cell by constructing the "genetic software" of a bacteria, and then transplanting it into a host cell. It is thought the breakthrough could help in the production of vaccines, and in cleaning up pollution, but some scientists are concerned it could also be used to build biological weapons.

In the beginning when he's explaining how they created the cell, he says "assembling that chromosome in yeast, transplanting it into a recipient bacterial cell".

What I don't understand is, yeast is a micro-organism in itself, as is bacteria.. he said that they transformed the bacterial cell into a new bacterial species. Doesn't that mean they basically just induced a bacterial mutation?

K_A can you help me out here? My knowledge in science isn't up to par to fully understand this.

I don't know much about biology or genetic engineering, sorry. Never really been my thing.

They changed it on a molecular level to their specific blueprints. It's a whole different organism, while a mutation is not. I believe.

So basically they still need life to make life. They haven't taken only chemicals and made them come to life, they used an already living cell to piggy back their cell.

Seems like it. Still serves the pupose Ka was talking bout tho.

I don't disagree, I just think that the scientists are misleading people. The title implies they have made life from scratch.. which they haven't. I'm sure eventually they will get there, but as of now they're just taking empty cells and putting DNA in them.

They are writing the DNA which determines everything about the organism. I don't see how that could be considered anything BUT creating life. I mean, we've "made" organic compounds from inorganic compounds before (see Miller-Urey Experiment.) That's old news. But this is literally writing the code which the life uses.

I agree, but I woud be more impressed if they had also created the cell from scratch, and not had to use one that already existed.

Well here's what they have to say about that: "Fuck you."

From what I've heard, what they've actually develloped is a way to reliably synthesize a complete set of chomosomes from scratch, nothing more, nothing less. They created the chomosomes of an existing strain of bacteria and put them in a different strain. Still a huge breakthrough, but not exactly what it's being represented as by the media.

I agree, but I woud be more impressed if they had also created the cell from scratch, and not had to use one that already existed.

Making a cell from scratch sounds pretty impossible, really.

So, with this thing, could they (for example) be able to alter the genetics of an unborn baby or something? Is it basically like an editing software for the human body? Or am I missing something?

So basically they still need life to make life. They haven't taken only chemicals and made them come to life, they used an already living cell to piggy back their cell.

If you were to try and make life from scratch wouldn't this first step be essential? I wouldn't say it's entirely misleading, maybe the media's interpretation as WW has suggested may be a bit offpar but for the most part, it's still a pretty significant adchievement.

It's more or less the parent DNA string coming from a computer, as compared to a parenting cell. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be considered a mutation.

http://www.heatingoil.com/blog/first...ating-oil0523/

First Synthetic Cell Holds Promise for Biodiesel and Green Heating Oil

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...989987,00.html

Almost there skurai

Now, is it going to end up with these babies (basically) being supperior to us, since we'll select the best genes and such for personality and intellect? If this becomes too powerful, the government could potentially create a "perfect" world for themself - infact, what we see right now could simply be a kind of "prototype". Of course, that's only coming from a bit of paranoia. Only wish we could edit the genes we already have. It's almost unfair.
What if that child grows up to dislike being made that way...? I mean... it's unnatural, right? We're heading right into the Cyberpunk era, huh?

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Indust...and_Its_Future

Quite right. We are entering a sick maddening future.

Would you have it any other way?

Either we do it, or we make someone else that will. Good point, D3V.