Re: [wanita-muslimah] Fwd: [FKUGM] Scientists create a living organism
NOP, just playing human ;-) - Original Message - From: "donnie damana" To: Sent: Monday, May 31, 2010 10:56 PM Subject: [wanita-muslimah] Fwd: [FKUGM] Scientists create a living organism > > Playing GOD? > > :D > >> >> Scientists create a living organism >> http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/science/05/20/scientists.organism.ft/index.html?hpt=T1 >> >> (FT) -- Scientists have turned inanimate chemicals into a living organism >> in an experiment that raises profound questions about the essence of >> life. >> Craig Venter, the U.S. genomics pioneer, announced on Thursday that >> scientists at his laboratories in Maryland and California had succeeded >> in their 15-year project to make the world's first "synthetic cells" -- >> bacteria called Mycoplasma mycoides. "We have passed through a critical >> psychological barrier," Dr. Venter told the FT. "It has changed my own >> thinking, both scientifically and philosophically, about life, and how it >> works." >> >> The bacteria's genes were all constructed in the laboratory "from four >> bottles of chemicals on a chemical synthesizer, starting with information >> on a computer," he said. The research -- published online by the journal >> Science -- was hailed as a landmark by many independent scientists and >> philosophers. >> >> "Venter is creaking open the most profound door in humanity's history, >> potentially peeking into its destiny," said Julian Savulescu, ethics >> professor at Oxford University. "This is a step towards ... creation of >> living beings with capacities and natures that could never have naturally >> evolved. The synthetic bacteria have 14 "watermark sequences" attached to >> their genome -- inert stretches of DNA added to distinguish them from >> their natural counterparts. They behaved and divided in lab dishes like >> natural bacteria. >> >> M mycoides was chosen as a simple microbe with which to develop and prove >> the technology. It has no immediate application. But scientists at the J. >> Craig Venter Institute and Synthetic Genomics, the company funding their >> research, intend to move quickly on to more useful targets that may not >> exist in nature. They are particularly interested in designing algae that >> can capture carbon dioxide from the air and produce hydrocarbon fuels. >> Last year Synthetic Genomics signed a $600M agreement with Exxon Mobil to >> make algal biofuels. "We have looked hard at natural algae, and we can't >> find one that can make the fuels we want on the scales we need," Dr. >> Venter said. >> >> The researchers built up the synthetic genome of M mycoides, with its >> million chemical letters, by stitching together shorter stretches of DNA, >> each about 1,000 letters long. They then transferred the completed genome >> into the shell of another bacterium M capricolum whose own DNA had been >> removed. The transplanted genome "booted up" the host cell and took over >> its biological machinery. After 30 cell divisions, there were billions of >> synthetic bacteria in the lab dishes -- all of them making exclusively >> the biological molecules associated with M mycoides. >> >> Experts warn of the risks as well as the benefits of synthetic biology. >> "We need new standards of safety evaluation for this kind of radical >> research and protections from military or terrorist misuse and abuse," >> said Prof. Savulescu. >> >> >> >> >> -- >> To post to this group, send email to fk...@googlegroups.com >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> fkugm+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/fkugm?hl=en > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > === > Milis Wanita Muslimah > Membangun citra wanita muslimah dalam diri, keluarga, maupun masyarakat. > Twitter: http://twitter.com/wanita_muslimah > Situs Web: http://www.wanita-muslimah.com > ARSIP DISKUSI : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/messages > Kirim Posting mailto:wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com > Berhenti mailto:wanita-muslimah-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com > Milis Keluarga Sejahtera mailto:keluarga-sejaht...@yahoogroups.com > Milis Anak Muda Islam mailto:majelism...@yahoogroups.com > > Milis ini tidak menerima attachment.Yahoo! Groups Links > > >
[wanita-muslimah] Fwd: [FKUGM] Scientists create a living organism
Playing GOD? :D > > Scientists create a living organism > http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/science/05/20/scientists.organism.ft/index.html?hpt=T1 > > (FT) -- Scientists have turned inanimate chemicals into a living organism in > an experiment that raises profound questions about the essence of life. > Craig Venter, the U.S. genomics pioneer, announced on Thursday that > scientists at his laboratories in Maryland and California had succeeded in > their 15-year project to make the world's first "synthetic cells" -- bacteria > called Mycoplasma mycoides. "We have passed through a critical psychological > barrier," Dr. Venter told the FT. "It has changed my own thinking, both > scientifically and philosophically, about life, and how it works." > > The bacteria's genes were all constructed in the laboratory "from four > bottles of chemicals on a chemical synthesizer, starting with information on > a computer," he said. The research -- published online by the journal Science > -- was hailed as a landmark by many independent scientists and philosophers. > > "Venter is creaking open the most profound door in humanity's history, > potentially peeking into its destiny," said Julian Savulescu, ethics > professor at Oxford University. "This is a step towards ... creation of > living beings with capacities and natures that could never have naturally > evolved. The synthetic bacteria have 14 "watermark sequences" attached to > their genome -- inert stretches of DNA added to distinguish them from their > natural counterparts. They behaved and divided in lab dishes like natural > bacteria. > > M mycoides was chosen as a simple microbe with which to develop and prove the > technology. It has no immediate application. But scientists at the J. Craig > Venter Institute and Synthetic Genomics, the company funding their research, > intend to move quickly on to more useful targets that may not exist in > nature. They are particularly interested in designing algae that can capture > carbon dioxide from the air and produce hydrocarbon fuels. Last year > Synthetic Genomics signed a $600M agreement with Exxon Mobil to make algal > biofuels. "We have looked hard at natural algae, and we can't find one that > can make the fuels we want on the scales we need," Dr. Venter said. > > The researchers built up the synthetic genome of M mycoides, with its million > chemical letters, by stitching together shorter stretches of DNA, each about > 1,000 letters long. They then transferred the completed genome into the shell > of another bacterium M capricolum whose own DNA had been removed. The > transplanted genome "booted up" the host cell and took over its biological > machinery. After 30 cell divisions, there were billions of synthetic bacteria > in the lab dishes -- all of them making exclusively the biological molecules > associated with M mycoides. > > Experts warn of the risks as well as the benefits of synthetic biology. "We > need new standards of safety evaluation for this kind of radical research and > protections from military or terrorist misuse and abuse," said Prof. > Savulescu. > > > > > -- > To post to this group, send email to fk...@googlegroups.com > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > fkugm+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/fkugm?hl=en [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] === Milis Wanita Muslimah Membangun citra wanita muslimah dalam diri, keluarga, maupun masyarakat. Twitter: http://twitter.com/wanita_muslimah Situs Web: http://www.wanita-muslimah.com ARSIP DISKUSI : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/messages Kirim Posting mailto:wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com Berhenti mailto:wanita-muslimah-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com Milis Keluarga Sejahtera mailto:keluarga-sejaht...@yahoogroups.com Milis Anak Muda Islam mailto:majelism...@yahoogroups.com Milis ini tidak menerima attachment.Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: wanita-muslimah-dig...@yahoogroups.com wanita-muslimah-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: wanita-muslimah-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
