T
tigisfat
Guest
I am now putting on my tinfoil hat. I don't even wanna know what <TEXT>t̒ͤ̌̑́҉͍̫̗ĥ̨͕͓̯̹̲̀ͩ̓i̸̗͚͉͈̥s̗̞̆ͬͤ͑̓̆̈́</TEXT>
could lead to in the wrong hands.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2010-05-21-genome21_ST_N.htm?csp=obinsite
or, if you don't wanna see the pics:
Genome researchers Thursday unveiled the first bacteria strain with a man-made collection of <TEXT>g̺̫ͧ̊͛ẻ̼̙̗̙̑͂͠n̩̘̜͉̙̺̪̓̒͡e̗̞ͤs͈̯̪ͫͯ̌ͦ̐̐ͅ</TEXT>
.
The long-anticipated advance, reported in the journal Science, is a $40 million milestone in the nascent field of "synthetic biology" and points towards a future of designer microbes manufacturing fuels, chemicals and materials.
"This is the first self-replicating cell we've had on the planet whose parent is a computer," says team chief Craig Venter of the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Md., who called the bacteria "the world's first synthetic cell." Venter is best known for his leadership of private human genome mapping efforts in the last decade, but he has since become a leading figure in synthetic biology, with his team producing a series of advances over the past 15 years.
In this latest study, the team designed a non-infectious gene map for Mycoplasma mycoides bacteria, ordered the map's chemical constituents and assembled those chemicals into a gene chromosome inside yeast cells. Finally, they transplanted the genome into a different species of bacteria, "and booted it up," Venter says, noting "a lot of failed attempts" preceded the success.
The altered bacteria reproduced as blue colonies of mycoides cells (now held in a freezer and awaiting a museum), containing gene "watermark" codes contained only in the synthetic genome.
"This represents an important step in our ability to engineer organisms," says Howard Hughes Medical Institutes genome researcher Jim Collins of Boston University, who was not on the study team. The results represent a "methodological tour-de-force," he adds. "Certainly the yeast step they have developed should be repeatable. We should be able to do things in other bacteria to reprogram them," leading to microbes producing materials for manufacturing.
In a briefing, the team noted it has asked for bioethics and safety reviews of synthetic biology research. Venter says the team approached the Bush Administration for permission to openly publish past research in this area out of bioterrorism safety concerns.
"It would be possible for someone to synthesize a pathogen (<TEXT>ḏ̬̙̟̘̪̘͊̀ȃ͓͚̮̼̜͓̘̾͌͆̐͋̂n̳̬̫͖̮͍̱͂ͬ͟g̩͍̦͎̓̒̊̅̃̇̄e̟̼̰̼̻̬ͦ̆̈̌̍͛r̷̼͚̳̖̺̿̌ͯ̈́ͯ͆ȍ̯̞̩̞̰͙̌̑̉̉ͣ͡u̟̺̦̲̳̗s̢͉͔̱̝ͫ́̽ͭ̈ ̥͔ͧ̓ͥ̅ͅm̻͔̲͉̦͈iͪ̇҉̻͕̤̙c̨͈̠̤̜̭̥̲͋͆̉ͮ̔r̼̥̪̼͎͇̥̔͗ͬ̀̓oͫ͂҉̟̭b͉̺̓ͮ̂̊͞ȇ̠͙̺ͧ͋ͪ̆̂͟</TEXT>
) in a new way this way," says Robert Friedman of the Venter Institute. But he says federal officials have undertaken rule-making procedures to police the ordering of the chemicals needed to synthesize genomes, as they do biologists ordering dangerous microbes. The team eliminated 14 genes from their synthetic genome that allow the mycoides bacteria to infect goats.
Technology assessment expert David Rejeski of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington D.C., says the public knows little about synthetic biology and the study announcement may bring added concern. "If anything positive comes out of the (Gulf of Mexico) oil spill, it is that nobody is going to believe in 'failsafe' technologies for a long time, and that will apply to scientists tinkering with biology as well," he says.
The study team has taken patents on the synthetic genome process, Venter adds, and hopes to repeat its success in algae as a step to producing chemicals from engineered microbes. "This is not life from scratch," Venter says. "We are taking advantage of 3 billion years of evolution to transplant a <TEXT>g͖͙̦͙̣̓̑̍e̋̋͐̕҉̤n̢̙͇̪̙̤̗͑͆̍ͅo̺̟ͤͨ̈̊ͪ̀ͫ̚̚m̴̡͙̥̹̬̳̽̎̉͡ȅ̼̻̞̏̎ͣ̏̽ ̺ͫ̈́ͪ̉ͭ̇̈́ͬi͉͓͍̙̮̟͛ͨͭ̒̃͊n̥̜̘̪̝̘̮̂̿̑͐͆ͣ̚͘͘t̩̦͕̝̑̋̋ͤ̉̉̅ͅͅọ̳̪ͤ̂ͮ̿͐̓ͩ̃ ͎̜̬͎̙̪̗̝̮͛̑̊̊͂ͮ͊̈́͟a̙̼̐͗ͮͬ̍͞ ̶̖̼̬̖͙͍̮͋ͣ̿̍ͮ́̾͊ͅc̰̠̹͌ͤͬ͟ȇ̵̛͍̃ͩ̎͂͢l̛͚̱̼͈̫̍ͥ̉̆ͩͭ̄ͣ͡l̨̿͛̀̔̐҉̲̦̘̜͓̤̹͇̳</TEXT>
."
could lead to in the wrong hands.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2010-05-21-genome21_ST_N.htm?csp=obinsite
or, if you don't wanna see the pics:
Genome researchers Thursday unveiled the first bacteria strain with a man-made collection of <TEXT>g̺̫ͧ̊͛ẻ̼̙̗̙̑͂͠n̩̘̜͉̙̺̪̓̒͡e̗̞ͤs͈̯̪ͫͯ̌ͦ̐̐ͅ</TEXT>
.
The long-anticipated advance, reported in the journal Science, is a $40 million milestone in the nascent field of "synthetic biology" and points towards a future of designer microbes manufacturing fuels, chemicals and materials.
"This is the first self-replicating cell we've had on the planet whose parent is a computer," says team chief Craig Venter of the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Md., who called the bacteria "the world's first synthetic cell." Venter is best known for his leadership of private human genome mapping efforts in the last decade, but he has since become a leading figure in synthetic biology, with his team producing a series of advances over the past 15 years.
In this latest study, the team designed a non-infectious gene map for Mycoplasma mycoides bacteria, ordered the map's chemical constituents and assembled those chemicals into a gene chromosome inside yeast cells. Finally, they transplanted the genome into a different species of bacteria, "and booted it up," Venter says, noting "a lot of failed attempts" preceded the success.
The altered bacteria reproduced as blue colonies of mycoides cells (now held in a freezer and awaiting a museum), containing gene "watermark" codes contained only in the synthetic genome.
"This represents an important step in our ability to engineer organisms," says Howard Hughes Medical Institutes genome researcher Jim Collins of Boston University, who was not on the study team. The results represent a "methodological tour-de-force," he adds. "Certainly the yeast step they have developed should be repeatable. We should be able to do things in other bacteria to reprogram them," leading to microbes producing materials for manufacturing.
In a briefing, the team noted it has asked for bioethics and safety reviews of synthetic biology research. Venter says the team approached the Bush Administration for permission to openly publish past research in this area out of bioterrorism safety concerns.
"It would be possible for someone to synthesize a pathogen (<TEXT>ḏ̬̙̟̘̪̘͊̀ȃ͓͚̮̼̜͓̘̾͌͆̐͋̂n̳̬̫͖̮͍̱͂ͬ͟g̩͍̦͎̓̒̊̅̃̇̄e̟̼̰̼̻̬ͦ̆̈̌̍͛r̷̼͚̳̖̺̿̌ͯ̈́ͯ͆ȍ̯̞̩̞̰͙̌̑̉̉ͣ͡u̟̺̦̲̳̗s̢͉͔̱̝ͫ́̽ͭ̈ ̥͔ͧ̓ͥ̅ͅm̻͔̲͉̦͈iͪ̇҉̻͕̤̙c̨͈̠̤̜̭̥̲͋͆̉ͮ̔r̼̥̪̼͎͇̥̔͗ͬ̀̓oͫ͂҉̟̭b͉̺̓ͮ̂̊͞ȇ̠͙̺ͧ͋ͪ̆̂͟</TEXT>
) in a new way this way," says Robert Friedman of the Venter Institute. But he says federal officials have undertaken rule-making procedures to police the ordering of the chemicals needed to synthesize genomes, as they do biologists ordering dangerous microbes. The team eliminated 14 genes from their synthetic genome that allow the mycoides bacteria to infect goats.
Technology assessment expert David Rejeski of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington D.C., says the public knows little about synthetic biology and the study announcement may bring added concern. "If anything positive comes out of the (Gulf of Mexico) oil spill, it is that nobody is going to believe in 'failsafe' technologies for a long time, and that will apply to scientists tinkering with biology as well," he says.
The study team has taken patents on the synthetic genome process, Venter adds, and hopes to repeat its success in algae as a step to producing chemicals from engineered microbes. "This is not life from scratch," Venter says. "We are taking advantage of 3 billion years of evolution to transplant a <TEXT>g͖͙̦͙̣̓̑̍e̋̋͐̕҉̤n̢̙͇̪̙̤̗͑͆̍ͅo̺̟ͤͨ̈̊ͪ̀ͫ̚̚m̴̡͙̥̹̬̳̽̎̉͡ȅ̼̻̞̏̎ͣ̏̽ ̺ͫ̈́ͪ̉ͭ̇̈́ͬi͉͓͍̙̮̟͛ͨͭ̒̃͊n̥̜̘̪̝̘̮̂̿̑͐͆ͣ̚͘͘t̩̦͕̝̑̋̋ͤ̉̉̅ͅͅọ̳̪ͤ̂ͮ̿͐̓ͩ̃ ͎̜̬͎̙̪̗̝̮͛̑̊̊͂ͮ͊̈́͟a̙̼̐͗ͮͬ̍͞ ̶̖̼̬̖͙͍̮͋ͣ̿̍ͮ́̾͊ͅc̰̠̹͌ͤͬ͟ȇ̵̛͍̃ͩ̎͂͢l̛͚̱̼͈̫̍ͥ̉̆ͩͭ̄ͣ͡l̨̿͛̀̔̐҉̲̦̘̜͓̤̹͇̳</TEXT>
."
