ugh! that's just wrong. and the irony is that this bunch haven't created anything. they just plagiarized, really.
On 10/7/07, John Mullan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > No matter how much anybody "thinks" this is progress, nobody knows what the > long term consequences are in modifying genes/DNA. > > We go ahead and do GM on vegetables and eat them. 100 or 1000 years from > now, what will it do to the entire food chain, including ourselves. We > evolved over time consuming natural foods. > > Now they want to create creatures and modify creatures via DNA. It may look > good for a little while, but the entire effect on evolution cannot possibly > be known. They will build them to be "perfect". The problem is that > natural occurances and evolution happen because of imperfections. One of > these new liforms could actually escape, multiply and take over or wipe out > life (think "The Stand", or more loosely, Terminator). > > I think it is dangerous at best. > > John > > > -------Original Message------- > > From: fox mulder > Date: 10/7/2007 6:55:57 AM > To: sustainablelorgbiofuel@sustainablelists.org > Subject: Re: [Biofuel] I am creating artificial life,declares US gene > pioneer > > Source: http://www.guardian .co.uk/science/ 2007/oct/ > 06/genetics. climatechange > > > > I am creating artificial life, declares US gene > pioneer > · Scientist has made synthetic chromosome > · Breakthrough could combat global warming > > Ed Pilkington in New York > The Guardian > Saturday October 6 2007 > Craig Venter, the controversial DNA researcher > involved in the race to decipher the human genetic > code, has built a synthetic chromosome out of > laboratory chemicals and is poised to announce the > creation of the first new artificial life form on > Earth. > > The announcement, which is expected within weeks and > could come as early as Monday at the annual meeting of > his scientific institute in San Diego, California, > will herald a giant leap forward in the development of > designer genomes. It is certain to provoke heated > debate about the ethics of creating new species and > could unlock the door to new energy sources and > techniques to combat global warming. > > Mr Venter told the Guardian he thought 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". > > The Guardian can reveal that a team of 20 top > scientists assembled by Mr Venter, led by the Nobel > laureate Hamilton Smith, has already constructed a > synthetic chromosome, a feat of virtuoso > bio-engineering never previously achieved. Using > lab-made chemicals, they have painstakingly stitched > together a chromosome that is 381 genes long and > contains 580,000 base pairs of genetic code. > > The DNA sequence is based on the bacterium Mycoplasma > genitalium which the team pared down to the bare > essentials needed to support life, removing a fifth of > its genetic make-up. The wholly synthetically > reconstructed chromosome, which the team have > christened Mycoplasma laboratorium, has been > watermarked with inks for easy recognition. > > It is then transplanted into a living bacterial cell > and in the final stage of the process it is expected > to take control of the cell and in effect become a new > life form. The team of scientists has already > successfully transplanted the genome of one type of > bacterium into the cell of another, effectively > changing the cell's species. Mr Venter said he was > "100% confident" the same technique would work for the > artificially created chromosome. > > The new life form will depend for its ability to > replicate itself and metabolise on the molecular > machinery of the cell into which it has been injected, > and in that sense it will not be a wholly synthetic > life form. However, its DNA will be artificial, and it > is the DNA that controls the cell and is credited with > being the building block of life. > > Mr Venter said he had carried out an ethical review > before completing the experiment. "We feel that this > is good science," he said. He has further heightened > the controversy surrounding his potential breakthrough > by applying for a patent for the synthetic bacterium. > > Pat Mooney, director of a Canadian bioethics > organisation, ETC group, said the move was an enormous > challenge to society to debate the risks involved. > "Governments, and society in general, is way behind > the ball. This is a wake-up call - what does it mean > to create new life forms in a test-tube?" > > He said Mr Venter was creating a "chassis on which you > could build almost anything. It could be a > contribution to humanity such as new drugs or a huge > threat to humanity such as bio-weapons" . > > Mr Venter believes designer genomes have enormous > positive potential if properly regulated. In the > long-term, he hopes they could lead to alternative > energy sources previously unthinkable. Bacteria could > be created, he speculates, that could help mop up > excessive carbon dioxide, thus contributing to the > solution to global warming, or produce fuels such as > butane or propane made entirely from sugar. > > "We are not afraid to take on things that are > important just because they stimulate thinking," he > said. "We are dealing in big ideas. We are trying to > create a new value system for life. When dealing at > this scale, you can't expect everybody to be happy." > > > > License/buy our content | > Privacy policy | > Terms & conditions | > Advertising guide | > Accessibility | > A-Z index | > About Guardian Unlimited | > Join our dating site today > Guardian Unlimited (c) Guardian News and Media Limited > 2007 > > > ___________________________________________________________ > Want ideas for reducing your carbon footprint? Visit Yahoo! For Good > http://uk.promotions.yahoo.com/forgood/environment.html > > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > Biofuel@sustainablelists.org > http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 > messages): > http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.14.2/1053 - Release Date: 06/10/2007 > 10:18 AM > > . > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: /pipermail/attachments/20071007/c865fdb5/attachment.html > -------------- next part -------------- > A non-text attachment was scrubbed... > Name: not available > Type: image/jpeg > Size: 1458 bytes > Desc: not available > Url : /pipermail/attachments/20071007/c865fdb5/attachment.jpe > -------------- next part -------------- > A non-text attachment was scrubbed... > Name: not available > Type: image/gif > Size: 33792 bytes > Desc: not available > Url : /pipermail/attachments/20071007/c865fdb5/attachment.gif > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > Biofuel@sustainablelists.org > http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 > messages): > http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
