On 3/27/2019 4:35 PM, Michael Christ wrote:
> People like Hitchens, Dawkins, Russell, Harris, so called intellects and
> the long list of other idiots con thousands, if not millions into
> fantasy and nonsense.
>
Pfffffttt! There went God!
By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent
6:00PM BST 20 May 2010
Dr Craig Venter, a multi-millionaire pioneer in genetics, and his team
have managed to make a completely new "synthetic" life form from a mix
of chemicals.
They manufactured a new chromosome from artificial DNA in a test tube,
then transferred it into an empty cell and watched it multiply – the
very definition of being alive.
The man-made single cell "creature", which is a modified version of one
of the simplest bacteria on earth, proves that the technology works.
Now Dr Venter believes organism, nicknamed Synthia, will pave the way
for more complex creatures that can transform environmental waste into
clean fuel, vaccinate against disease and soak up pollution.
But his development has also triggered debate over the ethics of
"playing god" and the dangers of the new technology could pose in terms
of biological hazards and warfare.
"We are entering an era limited only by our imagination," he said
announcing the research published in the journal Science.
Dr Venter, a pioneer of genetic code sequencing and his team at the J
Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland, have been chasing the
goal for more than 15 years at a cost of £30m.
First they sequenced the genetic code of Mycoplasma genitalium, the
world's smallest bacteria that lives in cattle and goats, and stored the
information on a computer.
Then they used the computer code to artificially reproduce the DNA in
the laboratory, slightly modifying it with a "watermark" so it was
distinguishable from the original natural one.
Finally they developed a technique of stripping bacteria cells of all
original DNA and substituting it with the new artificial code.
The resulting "synthetic cell" was then "rebooted" and it started to
replicate. The ability to reproduce or replicate is considered the basic
definition of life.
Dr Venter compared his work with the building of a computer. Making the
artificial DNA was the equivalent of creating the software for the
operating system. Transferring it to a cell was like loading it into the
hardware and running the programme.
"This is the first synthetic cell that's been made, and we call it
synthetic because the cell is totally derived from a synthetic
chromosome, made with four bottles of chemicals on a chemical
synthesizer, starting with information in a computer," said Dr Venter.
"This becomes a very powerful tool for trying to design what we want
biology to do. We have a wide range of applications [in mind]," he said.
The researchers are planning to design algae that can capture carbon
dioxide and make new hydrocarbons that could go into refineries.
They are also working on ways to speed up vaccine production, making new
chemicals or food ingredients and cleaning up water, said Dr Venter.
While a major technological leap forward the life form is still
incredibly simple in natural terms. Its DNA is made up of 485 genes,
each strand of which is made up of one million base pairs, the
equivalent of rungs on a ladder.
A human genome has 20,000 genes and three billion base pairs.
Nevertheless it is the beginning of the process that could lead to
creation of much more complicated species, and into a world of
artificial animals and people only envisaged in films such as Ridley
Scott's Bladerunner and Steven Spielberg's Artificial Intelligence.
Professor Julian Savulescu, an expert in Practical Ethics at the
University of Oxford, said: “Venter is creaking open the most profound
door in humanity’s history, potentially peeking into its destiny.
"He is going toward the role of a god: creating artificial life that
could never have existed naturally.
"The potential is in the far future, but real and significant: dealing
with pollution, new energy sources, new forms of communication. But the
risks are also unparalleled.
"We need new standards of safety evaluation for this kind of radical
research and protections from military or terrorist misuse and abuse.
"These could be used in the future to make the most powerful bioweapons
imaginable."
Dr David King, director of the watchdog Human Genetics Alert, said:
“What is really dangerous is these scientists’ ambitions for total and
unrestrained control over nature, which many people describe as ‘playing
God’.
“Scientists’ understanding of biology falls far short of their technical
capabilities. We have already learnt to our cost the risks that gap
brings, for the environment, animal welfare and human health.”
Dr Venter has called for reviews so that debate keeps up with the science.
He said: "It's part of an ongoing process that we've been driving,
trying to make sure that the science proceeds in an ethical fashion,
that we're being thoughtful about what we do and looking forward to the
implications to the future."
Science