[Flipside]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10132762.stm

Very interesting stuff indeed, the opportunities are incredible, as are the risks, particularly in medical applications, but all in all, I consider it a positive step.

This is likely to be quite a divisive topic, so I'll say at the start, let's keep it polite

[Bobboau]

creationists that's your cue for some crazy.

[BloodEagle]

creationists that's your cue for some crazy.

 

[Flipside]

Not the most auspicious start....

[Liberator]

creationists that's your cue for some crazy.

 

Yeah

Belief in Creation is not exclusive with the advance of science.  Indeed, most of the discoveries from the forefronts of physics and chemistry imply that there is more than random convergence going on in the universe.

On topic:
I'm confused.  So basically they constructed an artificial cell(with mitochondria and everything) complete with artificial "programming" and it did what they told it to?  

This could be a great thing or it could be more dangerous than a nuke.  

It's like they're children playing with a hand grenade and one of them just asked what the pin is for.

[Flipside]

Well, not quite, I think scientists are quite aware of the implications of what they have discovered, they aren't as innocent as they used to be, but yes, when scientists start talking about 'The flu jab you get next year might be created using this method', I can't help but be a little nervous, influenza is not a good example of where to start playing with DNA

It's a question of failsafes, a bacteria that eats Greenhouse gases is a wonderful idea, however, if things get out of control, the risks are, quite literally, all life on the planet. It's a rocky road to walk, the gains are massive, the risks are equally massive.

[Scourge of Ages]

It's a question of failsafes, a bacteria that eats Greenhouse gases is a wonderful idea, however, if things get out of control, the risks are, quite literally, all life on the planet. It's a rocky road to walk, the gains are massive, the risks are equally massive.

Bioengineered bacteria created with good intentions with a negligible possibility of running amok?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outpost_2#Storyline

That's all I have to say. Kind of lame, I know. 

[Colonol Dekker]

This is a good thing. A Prototype Alex Mercer scenario is a potentially bad thing.

[Kosh]

Indeed, most of the discoveries from the forefronts of physics and chemistry imply that there is more than random convergence going on in the universe.

Like what?

[Flipside]

I think it may be one of those false lines of reasoning, i.e. Man can create life, therefore life can be created, therefore life was created.

It's like a paradox I read somewhere, where someone suggested that life came around by Humanity developing Time Travel, going back in time, and creating themselves...

[ShadowGorrath]

This is a good thing. A Prototype Alex Mercer scenario is a potentially bad thing.

I'd like that second scenario.

[headdie]

this is definatly one of thoese scenarios where we need to be carefull of human nature and create things just because we can.  as a technology this has the potential to do wonders in correcting many of the problems we face today, but this has much greater potential to backfire with devestating effects than even nuclear technology.

also how will this effect areas like geneticaly modifying humans and farm stock now we know how to create fresh genetic code.

one interesting concept i have not heared mentioned is how far are we from an artificial biological computer?

[Turambar]

NOTE: This is not what I actually believe, I'm just being silly.

[ssmit132]

Bioengineered bacteria created with good intentions with a negligible possibility of running amok?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outpost_2#Storyline

That's all I have to say. Kind of lame, I know. 

Maybe, but the game is good

[Bobboau]

eats Greenhouse gases

if only such a thing existed in nature...

I'm confused.

it's not quite as big as you are thinking, but it's about halfway there, they made a fully artificially constructed genome (it was assembled from parts by a machine), note the basic design of the genome and the cell it was implanted into was natural.

[iamzack]

eats Greenhouse gases

if only such a thing existed in nature...

i lol'd

[Flipside]

eats Greenhouse gases

if only such a thing existed in nature...

Must admit, my first thought when reading about it was, "Oh great, another excuse to do nothing about the source of the problem", so I'm sort of inclined to agree with you, but, the truth is, the problem is there, and whilst plants help, they are not going to solve the problem all on their own, even if deforestation and the destruction of micro-organisms in the oceans wasn't taking place.

Edit: The fact is, you cannot simply say 'Hey! We've got plants!' and then think that's going to solve the problem.

[Bobboau]

but you hardly need artificial biology for an organism that eats CO2. if this strategy were feasible at all then there probably exists a plant that is already sufficiently hungry to do the deed. I doubt we are going to come up with something better at the job than chlorophyll.

[Herra Tohtori]

Plants use carbon dioxide. They don't have much effect on other greenhouse gases such as methane, nitrous oxides (which ALSO contribute to acidic rains along with sulphuric oxides) or chlorofluorocarbons.

I have a few queries about the nature of this "synthetic life". Mainly, does it reproduce? And more importantly, does it reproduce sexually? Is there any way to control mutations and, if they reproduce sexually, is there any conceiveable way to prevent their evolution bypassing the built-in "failsafes"?

Is it possible for these synthetic bacteria to swap genetic material with non-synthetic bacteria? What sort of metabolism does this synthetic lifeform have?

What sort of immune response would this life form invoke if introduced to animals or plants?

[Bobboau]

it's basically exactly like a normal bacteria, if you didn't know it's history then you wouldn't notice anything extraordinary, the only thing interesting is that the genome was assembled by machine using a digital copy of the original genome (with a few markers added in) rather than copied the old fashioned way.

the reason why this is big news (and you probably already understand this but I'm gona say it anyway) is because now they can make genomes that are NOT verbatim digital copies, this is basicly the same as giving someone a hex editor for DNA, they can make anything they want, they could even try doing something funky like introducing new base pairs.