"Artificial life" created as scientist makes synthetic chromosome

Craig Venter, a DNA researcher that had a part in deciphering the human genome, has stuck together 580,000 base pairs of genetic code to create an entirely new and alien chromosome. Based around the Mycoplasma genitalium bacterium (pictured in all its primordial glory), the new chromosome is then implanted into a living cell and renamed as Mycoplasma laboratorium -- don't you just love science jokes? The new "life form" is reliant on the host cell for replication and metabolism so it's not exactly entirely synthetic, but as the DNA is different, it is effectively an artificial form of life. Sounds like the human race's really doomed now: ultimately, all we're doing is setting the robots up with a tag team.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 8th 2007 2:36PM]

Read 12 comments above, moron.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 8th 2007 2:43PM]

Hey, Ashley!

Thanks for coming out and being a b*tch!
Good teamwork!


gg Ashley /getagoddamnedlife


I would like to sincerely apologize to everyone at Engadget for not reading every single post in this forum before posting.

Wait...no. THAT's moronic.

[snowglyder Posted Oct 8th 2007 3:29PM]

Crap.

Well, it's been a good game Earth.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 10th 2007 11:57AM]

I think research like this should be performed off the planet in the near future since space access is getting cheaper go take it to the moon or an asteriod.
If the experiment gets out of hand we can just nuke the research facility or dump it into the sun etc.