Artificial life

[sarah]

This send a serious shiver down my spine when I read it - I am extremely uncomfortable with such things:

Scientists create artificial life form
Friday, 21 May 2010 10:32
US scientists, led by controversial biologist Craig Venter, have succeeded in generating an artificial life form in the laboratory for the first time.

Reports say the development of the synthetic organism has significant implications for genomics.

The breakthrough is expected to lead to the manufacture of artificial organisms designed for specific tasks such as making vaccines or cleaning up pollution.

However, experts recognise that there are also potential dangers.

Speaking from Washington last night, Dr Venter dismissed suggestions that he was 'playing God'.

Dr Venter has said he would like to try to make bacteria to produce fuel or to use in making better vaccines or to design algae that can vacuum up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.


'This becomes a very powerful tool for trying to design what we want biology to do,' Dr Venter said at a news conference.

US President Barack Obama has asked his bioethics advisers to study and report on the research findings.

The US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee has also scheduled a hearing for next week to discuss the implications of the development.

Psychiatry Professor and medical ethics spokesman at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr Paul Wolpe, said caution was needed.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0521/science.html

 

[3waycross]

It should scare you. For example "What will those algae eat after they have cleaned up the atmosphere", most will die but some will morph and figure out a new diet.

Scary stuff there! :shock:

 

[chrisy]

day of the triffids comes to mind, or was it Dr Quatermass, Apocalypse now. or even Attack of the killer Tomatoes. no now on a more serious note, I didn't mean to be glib about this.....If not careful things could get out of hand, as the unknown can be dangerous, they say that is how AIDS came into being through a Government experiment that got out.