WASHINGTON (AP) -- Around the world, a handful of scientists are trying to create life from scratch and they're getting closer.
Experts expect an announcement within three to 10 years from someone in the now little-known field of "wet artificial life."
"It's going to be a big deal and everybody's going to know about it," said Mark Bedau, chief operating officer of ProtoLife of Venice, Italy, one of those in the race. "We're talking about a technology that could change our world in pretty fundamental ways -- in fact, in ways that are impossible to predict."
That first cell of synthetic life -- made from the basic chemicals in DNA -- may not seem like much to non-scientists. For one thing, you'll have to look in a microscope to see it.
"Creating protocells has the potential to shed new life on our place in the universe," Bedau said. "This will remove one of the few fundamental mysteries about creation in the universe and our role."
And several scientists believe man-made life forms will one day offer the potential for solving a variety of problems, from fighting diseases to locking up greenhouse gases to eating toxic waste
"This will remove one of the few fundamental mysteries..."
What is this guy living in? The 18th century?
Oh, "everybody's going to know about it", right. He's just living in a fantasy world.
I hope he succeeds, because creating artificial life would be cool, and open new avenues for more accurate abiogenesis theories. I just hope somebody slaps some common sense into him in the process.
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Darth Mortis, creationists are going to take this as they have taken every other piece of evidence: cherrypick what they can take, out of context, to support their view, then let the rest bounce off their impervious walls of ignorance.
"This will remove one of the few fundamental mysteries..."
What is this guy living in? The 18th century?
No... the 21st. You don't have to believe God did it to not know exactly how abiogenisis works, unless of course you happen to be the world's leading biochemist and would like to explain to me exactly how this process works?
"Yeah, funny how that works - you giving hungry people food they vote for you. You give homeless people shelter they vote for you. You give the unemployed a job they vote for you.
Maybe if the conservative ideology put a roof overhead, food on the table, and employed the downtrodden the poor folk would be all for it, too". - Broomstick
Abiogenesis is like the death of Jimmy Hoffa. We know it was caused by foul play, but we don't know exactly what kind of foul play it was. Similarly, we know that life began as a result of chemical reactions in the prebiotic environment, but we don't know exactly how.
"It's not evil for God to do it. Or for someone to do it at God's command."- Jonathan Boyd on baby-killing
"you guys are fascinated with the use of those "rules of logic" to the extent that you don't really want to discussus anything."- GC
"I do not believe Russian Roulette is a stupid act" - Embracer of Darkness
"Viagra commercials appear to save lives" - tharkûn on US health care.
Darth Wong wrote:Abiogenesis is like the death of Jimmy Hoffa. We know it was caused by foul play, but we don't know exactly what kind of foul play it was. Similarly, we know that life began as a result of chemical reactions in the prebiotic environment, but we don't know exactly how.
Yes, we do, Teh GOD of all created us out of assorted mud puddles and rocks and water!!! /sarcasm.
Biology was never my strongpoint, I would like to be linked to an explanation of this process however.
Darth Mortis wrote:Freaky, wonder how creationists are going to take this, proof of God or yet another scientific smack against Christians.
You really want to know? Either scream its a fraud or the work of satan.
"everytime a person is born the Earth weighs just a little more."--DMJ on StarTrek.com
"You see now you are using your thinking and that is not a good thing!" DMJay on StarTrek.com
"Watching Sarli argue with Vympel, Stas, Schatten and the others is as bizarre as the idea of the 40-year-old Virgin telling Hugh Hefner that Hef knows nothing about pussy, and that he is the expert."--Elfdart
Darth Wong wrote:Abiogenesis is like the death of Jimmy Hoffa. We know it was caused by foul play, but we don't know exactly what kind of foul play it was. Similarly, we know that life began as a result of chemical reactions in the prebiotic environment, but we don't know exactly how.
Yes, we do, Teh GOD of all created us out of assorted mud puddles and rocks and water!!! /sarcasm.
Biology was never my strongpoint, I would like to be linked to an explanation of this process however.
Your google-fu is weak! Abogensis FAQ Closest you'll get without knowing an expert, anyway. Pretty good site in general.
Darth Mortis wrote:wonder how creationists are going to take this
Blasphemy!!! Stone the infidels!!! Burn the heretics!!! Man should not trespass on Gods domains.
We will get a flood of bad TV films of arrogant scientist playing with artificial life until it gets lose and destroys us all. Would you be surprised if, once they get real close there would be a campaign to ban all such research?
I thought Roman candles meant they were imported. - Kelly Bundy
12 yards long, two lanes wide it's 65 tons of American pride, Canyonero! - Simpsons
Support the KKK environmental program - keep the Arctic white!
I recall someone once said "That's not evolution, that's intelligent experimentation!" Of course they'll conflate evolution and abiogenesis, and then say that the presence of intelligences overseeing the process is proof that a supreme intelligence oversees the universe and is responsible for the conditions that gave rise to us just like it said in the book of Genesis read the bible it's all in there proof that divinely inspired wisdom previewed science not known to humankind for 4000 years! Etc.
