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Arawn-ap-Hywel · Jun 30, 2007, 02:45 am

First artificial life 'within months' | International News | News | Telegraph

Quote:

Scientists could create the first new form of artificial life within months after a landmark breakthrough in which they turned one bacterium into another.
Craig Venter likened the process to 'changing a Macintosh computer
into a PC by inserting a new piece of software'
In a development that has triggered unease and excitement in equal measure, scientists in the US took the whole genetic makeup - or genome - of a bacterial cell and transplanted it into a closely related species.

This then began to grow and multiply in the lab, turning into the first species in the process.

The team that carried out the first “species transplant” says it plans within months to do the same thing with a synthetic genome made from scratch in the laboratory.

The control continues

Captain Cardio · Jul 3, 2007, 01:28 pm

I'm not quite clear on what this means. What are the implications of this discovery?

Arawn-ap-Hywel · Jul 3, 2007, 01:49 pm

Quote:

Quote by: Captain Cardio

I'm not quite clear on what this means. What are the implications of this discovery?

An artificialy i.e. man made life form distinctive from all others.

5010 · Jul 3, 2007, 01:51 pm

I think this is a step in the direction towards "Jurassic Park". Not quite that age, though. For example, there are labs that keep frozen wooly mammoth cells. Perhaps one day they might be able to transplant DNA from a dead mammoth cell to a living mouse cell, turning the mouse into a mammoth. Then maybe it could be developed in the womb of an elephant.

Technosoul · Jul 5, 2007, 10:42 am

I think the process might be called "cell fusion". In that process they fuse two complete cells from different sources - rather then combine chromosomes within a single cell. To create a "supercell" holding within it's self two nuclei and a double set of the paired chromosomes. When that supercell splits, the mixture of nuclei and chromosomes may split in a pattern different from that of each cell before the fusion. They you would have two new cells but each with a brand-new set of genetic codes that are completely garbled as far as the ancestor cells were concerned. This means that cells from hitherto incompatible livings organisms - let us say that of a chicken and that of a mouse, can be fused to from new cells with brand-new genetic mixes that produce new animals that are neither chickens nor mice as we know them to be. In effect - a new speicies.

Now to make a single cell from scratch you must identify the chemical combinations that make up the DNA of a cell. When you have mapped the kinds of chemicals and the order they are in then you can collect those same chemicals form the natural environment then make your own DNA strand in the image of the one studied. Place it in a cell casing and into the proper environmental condition. Then watch to see if your lab-made single cell acts like a natural cell - and reproduces by dividing into two cells. It if does then you have just created "life" from scratch.

ZNFYRH · Jul 5, 2007, 10:53 am

Here's what the implications are:

They are going to take the genome map of a bacterium in order to see all the protein chains and links, etc.

Then they are going to take the four DNA proteins and synthetically link them together.

Finally, they are going to insert the DNA into a cell and somehow "quicken" it to reproduce, thus synthetically creating life.

Jul 3, 2007, 01:51 pm	#4 (permalink) (top)
5010 mostly harmless Location: USA Posts: 1,282	I think this is a step in the direction towards "Jurassic Park". Not quite that age, though. For example, there are labs that keep frozen wooly mammoth cells. Perhaps one day they might be able to transplant DNA from a dead mammoth cell to a living mouse cell, turning the mouse into a mammoth. Then maybe it could be developed in the womb of an elephant. - solo (my site)

Jul 5, 2007, 10:53 am	#6 (permalink) (top)
ZNFYRH Volcanic Erupter Posts: 4,375	Here's what the implications are: They are going to take the genome map of a bacterium in order to see all the protein chains and links, etc. Then they are going to take the four DNA proteins and synthetically link them together. Finally, they are going to insert the DNA into a cell and somehow "quicken" it to reproduce, thus synthetically creating life. IT'S A BOY!!

Jul 3, 2007, 01:28 pm	#2 (permalink) (top)
Captain Cardio Uncomfortable Mind Posts: 376	I'm not quite clear on what this means. What are the implications of this discovery?

Jul 5, 2007, 10:42 am	#5 (permalink) (top)
Technosoul Volcanic Erupter Posts: 8,650	I think the process might be called "cell fusion". In that process they fuse two complete cells from different sources - rather then combine chromosomes within a single cell. To create a "supercell" holding within it's self two nuclei and a double set of the paired chromosomes. When that supercell splits, the mixture of nuclei and chromosomes may split in a pattern different from that of each cell before the fusion. They you would have two new cells but each with a brand-new set of genetic codes that are completely garbled as far as the ancestor cells were concerned. This means that cells from hitherto incompatible livings organisms - let us say that of a chicken and that of a mouse, can be fused to from new cells with brand-new genetic mixes that produce new animals that are neither chickens nor mice as we know them to be. In effect - a new speicies. Now to make a single cell from scratch you must identify the chemical combinations that make up the DNA of a cell. When you have mapped the kinds of chemicals and the order they are in then you can collect those same chemicals form the natural environment then make your own DNA strand in the image of the one studied. Place it in a cell casing and into the proper environmental condition. Then watch to see if your lab-made single cell acts like a natural cell - and reproduces by dividing into two cells. It if does then you have just created "life" from scratch.