Well.... Well. 46 & 2.

[wolven7]

'Craig Venter, the controversial DNA researcher involved in the race to decipher the human genetic code, has built a synthetic chromosome out of laboratory chemicals and is poised to announce the creation of the first new artificial life form on Earth.

'The announcement, which is expected within weeks and could come as early as Monday at the annual meeting of his scientific institute in San Diego, California, will herald a giant leap forward in the development of designer genomes. It is certain to provoke heated debate about the ethics of creating new species and could unlock the door to new energy sources and techniques to combat global warming.'

Had some dreams, last night. Can't decide whether to post them, or just inhabit them, for a while.

Components: A retreat out in the country, with mech_angel, bakeneko, raoin, Ryam, and Jacosa. Walking through the country house, the backyard, at night, a fight with a giant in a circle, by firelight, a discussion between bakeneko and Jacosa about the latter's aura content, finding Humanity and Water, at the site of her nose. The intensity of my interest becoming off-putting, people wandering away. There was some conversation, in the house, prior to the fight, something about Maidoc wandering the backyard, and digging things up, the path from the yard to the woods, and the need to stay on that path. Gnomes off to the left, when heading out to the woods. If the woods were north, the house was south, and the gnomes were west of the path. Combination of my dad's place and the Douglas House.

Interesting dreams. Woke up with "Great Destroyer" in my head, again, this morning. Segued into Tom Waits' "Walk Away," while cleaning up the kitchen, though...

Comments

[nausved.livejournal.com]

Is it really artificial life? Technically, life is defined as that which has metabolism. That means DNA is not alive. (Personally, I've never liked this definition, as it excludes viruses--and, functionally and ecologically, viruses are every bit as alive as any other microparasite.)

I wonder why he's controversial. Controversial to scientists, or controversial to the public at large (which, I would assume, would mean the religious right)?

I am also curious as to how competitive a cell lacking "junk DNA" would be compared to regular cells. Junk DNA is vital for the evolution of new functions, and a bacterium that can't evolve quickly won't keep pace with its fellow bacteria, presumably. This would be a fantastic way to test the Red Queen Hypothesis.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Precisely, it's not life Yet. He's still working on the actual Living organisms, and says they're still at Least a few months off.

It's possible that it will develop some other means of adaptation. I'd like to see it...

[unknownbinaries.livejournal.com]

This may be more of that seeing connections everywhere, where there may be none, but that dream is kind of a shove in a direction.

I still don't have much to say except 'wow' on the chromosome thing, and that is strange, to me. I can't think of it as something to be debated as it has happened, and whatever criticisms people have on that aren't going to change it. I honestly don't understand why there would be any moral compunctions on it, and we can learn from it. NEAT. *shrug*

[wolven.livejournal.com]

What direction?

And I think that people will always have that "Oh My God We're Playing God We're All Gonna Die!" reaction, somewhere. Everyone has a line.