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Artificial life 'could be created within five years'

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    Artificial life 'could be created within five years'

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sciencean...ive-years.html

    Artificial life 'could be created within five years'
    Artificial life could be created "within five years", researchers from the USA have claimed.

    Laboratories across the world are closing in on a "second genesis" - an achievement that would be one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of all time.

    Prof David Deamer, from California University, said although building a new lifeform from scratch is a daunting task he is confident it can happen in five to 10 years.

    He said: "The momentum is building - we're knocking at the door."

    A synthetic, made-to-order living system could produce everything from new drugs to biofuels and greenhouse gas absorbers.

    Opponents of the controversial research claim the technology could lead to machines becoming "almost human".

    But there would be no safety issues for a long time as any initial organisms would be very primitive and need large-scale life support in the lab, reports New Scientist.

    The finishing line could be in sight after geneticists Professor George Church and Dr Michael Jewett, of Harvard Medical School, told a synthetic biology conference in Hong Kong that they had synthetically created part of a cell, called a ribosome.

    The breakthrough offers hope that they could create an entire cell; something Prof Church believes would be a relatively minor challenge.

    He said: "There's nothing you'd expect to go wrong - the way we expected things to go wrong with the assembly."

    However, according to Dr Anthony Forster, of Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, who is also creating a synthetic living cell in a test tube with Prof Church, "until you actually try this you won't know".

    "Having said that we know cells can do it so we should be able to do it sooner or later."

    #2
    Yeah yeah.

    Everyting is always 5 years away. Like nuclear fusion, cure for cancer and trains that can run on time.

    Comment


      #3
      Blooming heck.
      Prince Charles will go ballistic over this one.



      (\__/)
      (>'.'<)
      ("")("") Born to Drink. Forced to Work

      Comment


        #4
        Does that mean the creationists are right - it really doesn't take billions of years for life to evolve. Just five years in a test tube?
        Down with racism. Long live miscegenation!

        Comment


          #5
          There's plenty ofartificial life on this forum already. look at all the sock puppets.
          Hard Brexit now!
          #prayfornodeal

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by sasguru View Post
            There's plenty ofartificial life on this forum already. look at all the sock puppets.
            Pot meet kettle!

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by oracleslave View Post
              Pot meet kettle!
              Please go on.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by DimPrawn View Post
                Yeah yeah.

                Everyting is always 5 years away. Like nuclear fusion, cure for cancer and trains that can run on time.
                For once, we are in total agreement.
                Originally posted by MaryPoppins
                I'd still not breastfeed a nazi
                Originally posted by vetran
                Urine is quite nourishing

                Comment


                  #9
                  Wasn't this on Tomorrows World 20 years ago?

                  'elf and safety guru

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Will vegetarians be able to eat it?

                    And will it taste like chicken?

                    Comment

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