Scientist Creates Synthetic Life In Lab

[Jadzia]

Injecting chromosomes into cells is nothing new; it is the basis of cloning and other kinds of genetic engineering. Creating the chromosome is the new achievement here.

The fact that the engineered cell can grow and reproduce is more of an indication than anything that the synthetic chromosome was correctly assembled.

I'd prefer to reserve the term "synthetic life" for that which has been designed from the top down, rather than engineered from pre-existing (yeast/bacterium) dna/gene sequences.

I'd like to see dna programming become actualised. Where one can give a detailed description of what structures are to be present in our new lifeform, and for that description to be passed to a compiler, that outputs a dna sequence, which can then be used to build a chromosome, and that used to grow the life form.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Yes. In that case, we might have to drown them all, and start over.

Noah: Riiiiiight!

I haven't heard that routine in years.

"Who is this, really?"

I haven't heard the whole thing yet (sad, I know), but the parts I heard of it were hilarious.

 

[Goliath]

Really?

Go here without delay.

 

[Holdfast]

I'd like to see dna programming become actualised. Where one can give a detailed description of what structures are to be present in our new lifeform, and for that description to be passed to a compiler, that outputs a dna sequence, which can then be used to build a chromosome, and that used to grow the life form.

Now that the artificial chromosome creation can be done, it won't be long before a) it's completely automated, b) you can churn out zillions of random chromosomes quickly, and c) implant them into empty cells, just to see what each chromosome does.

No need to figure out how to program DNA, we should now be able to use brute force to figure out different programming elements and then just mix and match. Should just be dependent on the ability to automate it, and computing speed to generate different chromosomes and then time to analyse all the results. Most cells will die pretty quickly, but from the rest we can then see if anything interesting emerges...

 

[Jadzia]

No need to figure out how to program DNA, we should now be able to use brute force to figure out different programming elements and then just mix and match. Should just be dependent on the ability to automate it, and computing speed to generate different chromosomes and then time to analyse all the results. Most cells will die pretty quickly, but from the rest we can then see if anything interesting emerges...

That would really just be a more intense form of selective breeding then, wouldn't it? Select the chromosomes that look like they're growing into something interesting, and add/remove/change a few letters for the next culture.

It would be a very experimental approach: a good way of creating something, even if we don't understand why the thing we've created grows the way it does.

I'd expect those sort of experiments would only take us so far. The natural goal is to solve the equation as it were, to learn how to encode custom biological structures in dna.

 

[Lindley]

I'd like to see dna programming become actualised. Where one can give a detailed description of what structures are to be present in our new lifeform, and for that description to be passed to a compiler, that outputs a dna sequence, which can then be used to build a chromosome, and that used to grow the life form.

Now that the artificial chromosome creation can be done, it won't be long before a) it's completely automated, b) you can churn out zillions of random chromosomes quickly, and c) implant them into empty cells, just to see what each chromosome does.

No need to figure out how to program DNA, we should now be able to use brute force to figure out different programming elements and then just mix and match. Should just be dependent on the ability to automate it, and computing speed to generate different chromosomes and then time to analyse all the results. Most cells will die pretty quickly, but from the rest we can then see if anything interesting emerges...

Well, that's one way to use genetic algorithms....

 

[blablover5]

That must have taken forever to create all those strands. We can't make very long synthetic strands yet. I wanna say it's at 5 kilobases but it could be 10.

Regardless making an entire chromosome must have been years and years of boredom.

 

[cultcross]

I'm loving all the stuff in the papers today about terrorists using this technology to develop 'weaponised viruses'. Yeah, terrorists have millions of dollars, years of research time, the R&D expertise and the facilities to generate this technology on the scale needed for that sort of production. And they'd certainly do that when there are perfectly good natural diseases to use as bioweapons if one was so inclined.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Two important things, can they be reared in the millions and secondly what do they taste like...MMmMMmMMmmMm Fried Mutagens.....with bacon.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Zero cholesterol bacon. With telomerase.

 

[SeerSGB]

One more step towards the Eugenics War

That or Kirk Cameron with finally get his CrocoDuck...off course McDonalds wil promptly make a McNuggest of it and put it in a Happy Meal

 

[Goliath]

Zero cholesterol bacon. With telomerase.

Now that's what I call "better living through science."