Sheril had a post about this over on the new blog Correlations, but it is so interesting (and so potentially far-reaching) that I thought I’d point to it here too.
Craig Venter’s been at it again. This time one of his teams of scientists has apparently created a synthetic chromosome in the laboratory. As he said to the Guardian:
this landmark would be “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”.
Have a look at the full article, and do share with us here (or over on Sheril’s post) what you think of this remarkable piece of research.
-cvj
#2 Here’s hoping we use it wisely.
There’s not much evidence of that happening!
Especially if this is hailed as some technological quick-fix to feeding the world, or solving the global warming problem.
Just imagine all those little copyrighted genetically engineered organisms multiplying on their own. With what effect?
It certainly couldn’t be restricted to an isolated ecological niche.
So, another genetically engineered life-form would need to be introduced to bring the first one under control.
Think Australian Cane Toad, think genetically engineered predator, think unintended consequences.
I commented on this over at “correlations” but to my mind this is the biological equivalent of Fermi and team under the bleachers at U of Chicago with the first chain reaction. The potential upside/downside is as significant, if not more so, than the development of atomic energy.
Here’s hoping we use it wisely.
e.
Kurzweil must be proud, singularity is just around the corner. Well he predicted 2017; but hey, this is a relatively giant leap, and with the Nobels going today to stem cell genetic researchers, one can only let the imagination explode.