A Synthetic Life-Form soon to be created
Craig Venter - the well known DNA researcher committed to the deciphering of human genome - has manufactured a synthetic chromosome from scratch (made of laboratory chemicals), according to a report of The Guardian UK.
The cromosome, which is 381 genes long and contains 580000 base pairs of nucleotides, was built from scratch by a team of 20 top world scientists assembled by Dr. Venter and led by the Noble laureate Hamilton Smith.
Venter has stated that he’s soon to announce the creation of the first new
artificial form of life on the planet.
The cromosome will be implanted and tested inside a Mycoplasma (a very common bacterium) and - if successful - it should led to the replication and survival of the new species. Venter explains to the Guardian that it won’t be a new life form from scratch - due to the fact of the implantation in a existing cell - but, it will be definitely a new species.
When the milestone is reached, a new - hot - debate will rise due to the topics that will come into public opinion, such as the ethical considerations of the creation of new forms of life.
[This landmark is] a very important philosophical step in the history of our species. We are going from reading our genetic code to the ability to write it. That gives us the hypothetical ability to do things never contemplated before. Dr. Venter.
In terms of global climate issues, this new life-designing technology will give the humankind the chance to repair the planet. But, on the turnpits, it might lead to the development of new bioweapons as the previous history could never have led us to think of.
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