John Roachfor National Geographic News
January 25, 2008
Scientists yesterday announced that they have successfully created an entire synthetic genome in the lab by stitching together the DNA of the smallest known free-living bacterium, Mycoplasma genitalium.
Experts are hailing the research as an important breakthrough in genetic manipulation that will one day lead to the "routine" creation of synthetic genomes—possibly including those of mammals.
Step Toward Artificial Life
The new work is an important second step in a three-step process to the creation of synthetic life, said research leader Hamilton Smith, a biologist and Nobel laureate at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland.
The first step, reported last year by the same team at Venter's institute, was the successful transplantation of a genome from one species of bacteria into another, effectively switching the bug's identity.
"The third step, which we're working on now, is to take the chemically synthesized DNA, which is in the test tube, and get it into a bacterium where it can take over and produce a synthetic cell," Smith said.
Is the creation of life something that is ethical correct or are we playing ball way over our heads?
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20 comments:
This can be a very controveral topic. I think that there could be some used in which this could be beneficial, however I don't think it is correct. I believe that a child is to become of a man and a woman as God intended it to be. It wasn't planned to have technology creating people. I think it should be left the natural way.
This can be good and bad. I don't think that this is good for people. They are not supposed to be created by this way.
I think that this can be useful for research but it is not the ethical thing to do. People and animals should be created how they were intended to. I think that it would be useful to find out new things about life but they should find a different way to do it.
This could go both ways good and bad. I don't think that people should be made this way. God made people to be made my man and woman not technology. They are not suppose to be made this way. They should be created how they were intended to. They most they could do is to find a different way to do things like that.
I think that this could be helpful, but I do not think that it is right. I think that we should not try to be like God. Even if people do not think that we are doing that, but that is basically what you are doing. I think that we should be having people created by technology, because they will not have the same kinds of personalitys as regular people, because they are artifically made.
I think we should figure out how to do this creating life with the genome. But I don't think we need to use it everytime we have a child. I would like to maybe see it used when a child is known to have down's syndrome or soemthing. Other than things like that I would like to see it stay away from everyday birth.
I think that cloning for humans can be really good if it is only used to create artifial limbs, and organs but as for full humans that is very bad. If they do clone people that would be wierd to know that you are not really real so that is why we should not clone humans.
This is a good step in research progress, but I don't necessarily think its the right thing to do. Boys and Girls should be made normally, not just in a lab. It could hurt the child in the future and it could have many side effects that we don't know about yet at this time.
I think that this could be use as a good thing, but I don't think that its something that we should do all the time. I think that we should just let god do what he wants to do. Nature should just take its course.
I think that it would be good it we created clones. Some pepole have a problem because they think people are trying ot play god. It we could clone limpbs and stuff it would be alright.
This sounds more serious than the issue on human cloning. We could create new species and make an organism any way we want. This could be good because we could make a better organism from scratch. This could be good or bad depending on how they use it.
It can be beneficial but it isn't right. Technology isn't supposed to make man. THey shoud be made the way God wants it
There is many different opinons about this topic. I believe that there is a certain circumtances that it is the right thing to do; like rape. But I believe it should be done the natural way; it isn't right to do something like that to a unborn child.
I believe that this goes both ways. It is very good in the whole scientific and researching department, but it is not enthical. My opinion is that animals and humans should be created the way God intended them to be.
I think that using some of the things can be used as a benifit. I dont think that technology should be used to create people. God set up a way of doing that on purpose. I think the natural way is alot easier and better for people.
This is a tough topic to talk about. I think this good be beneficial, but it isn't the right way of doing this. I think this should be done when a mom and dad have a child. This should stay the way it is now.
I feel that it is way ofver our heads but it could help some of the handicaped people later on in life. This in turn should and could make the world we live in a better more happy place.
Well its both good and bad it is telling us that out scientific studies are becoming better and better each day..but that isnt how humans are created in the real world..so i dont think that should be done..
I think it depends on the things that you are making. A bactirium, well its a test subject. What kinds of things are they meaning to create. So i think it depends on where they go on this and what it does in the future.
It just depends how you see it. I think with bacteria it is ethically alright because it isn't a real live animal or something like that. It could be very useful when doing research in a lab.
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