A Maryland genome mapper has developed what he and his team are calling the world´s first synthetic living cell, though it´s more of a cell created by manipulating DNA. It´s just a first step, says creator J. Craig Venter.
The eventual goal, he said, is to design organisms that operate differently than natural creatures do in order to perform a wide array of tasks that could include turning algae into fuel, cleaning polluted water, and creating vaccines.
"This is the first self-replicating species we´ve had on the planet whose parent is a computer," Venter said. President Obama has ordered his bioethical issues commission to study Venter´s scientific milestone as its first order of business.
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