Synthetic Biologists Make Life From Scratch

Posted on August 22, 2005

Synthetic biologists combine genetic molecules to create an organism. Live Science says scientists have already created a polio virus from scratch and our now moving onto more complex and novel organisms.

In Israel, scientists have created the world's smallest computer by engineering DNA to carry out mathematical functions.
J. Craig Venter, the entrepreneurial scientist who mapped the human genome, announced last month that he intends to string together genes to create from scratch novel organisms that can produce alternative fuels such as hydrogen and ethanol.
With a $42.6 million grant that originated at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Berkeley researchers are creating a new malaria drug by removing genetic material of the E. coli bacterium and replacing it with genes from wormwood and yeast.

While that research sounds promising with any new technology there is always a risk. The risk with synthetic biology is that rogue scientists could use it to create dangerous organisms in the lab.

For example, national security experts and even synthetic biologists themselves fret that rogue scientists or "biohackers'' could create new biological weapons -- like deadly viruses that lack natural foes. They also worry about innocent mistakes -- organisms that could potentially create havoc if allowed to reproduce outside the lab.