Scientists create life

All a scientist need do is create this:



and they'll all get a green light from our overwhelmingly male Congress.

As for a serious reply...well the above WAS a serious reply. I have no problem with genetic MANIPULATION to attain a better species of humans in all aspects, but we certainly do need to proceed with caution; I'm with Tamar- I don't want airborne AIDS or Malaria or Ebola, but I would like to see them use this technology to better our species.

And to think just years ago, they once said we couldn't even create genes, now we're going even further than that.

It's impressive that the bacteria still works after all they have put it through, but it is far from artificial life.

The genetic sequence isn't even one they designed, they are just calling it synthetic because they made it in a machine. Of course the machine they made it in just copied the existing genetic sequence.

I remember watching one of those end of the world scenarios on TV where the gray goo just eats up the whole planet. Scared my kid about it when she asked me if it could happen and I said yes. Wife was not happy so I had to quickly say I was joking.

"In a History Channel broadcast, grey goo is referred to in a futuristic doomsday scenario: "In a common practice, billions of nanobots are released to clean up an oil spill off the coast of Louisiana. However, due to a programming error, the nanobots devour all carbon based objects, instead of just the hydrocarbons of the oil. The nanobots destroy everything, all the while, replicating themselves. Within days, the planet is turned to dust."[citation needed]" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_goo

But now I'm not so sure.

Oh and if we go full Zombie outbreak remember kids....

^I watched Shawn of the Dead. I'm ready for the Zombipocalypse.

Oh, Jesus. I hope they're not working in the same building.

Allow me to share this moment of genius from the BBC's Have Your Say

Well, lucky us that nothing in biosphere uses any of that oxygen stuff

Well I think we all know what's really going on here.

Scientists are finally able to reproduce without the drudgeries of rejection from the female population.

Right, because we're all thinking about making babies when we're risking rejection from the female population.

I find this development, advancement, extremely interesting.

The possibilities of its applications are endless.

Made me think of this old joke

God was sitting in heaven one day when a scientist said to Him, "God, we don't need you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing - in other words, we can now do what you did in the beginning."

"Oh, is that so? Explain..." replies God. "Well," says the scientist, "we can take dirt and form it into the likeness of you and breathe life into it, thus creating man."

"Well, that's very interesting... show Me."

So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil into the shape of a man. "No, no, no..." interrupts God, "Get your own dirt."

Miranda was caused by chemical psychopharmacological additives, not biological experimentation.