And then there was life....

[jake-the-peg]

Craig Ventner has applied for a patent on a method to create a life form from scratch

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6733797.st m

He created a virus from scratch 4 years ago but that's not strictly a living organism. Now it seems that he's on the verge of something a lot more sophisticated.

Would the creation of an artificial life form change anything for the worlds religions or would it be a case of "so what"?

[jackthehat]

I created a life-form from scratch 21 years ago.............he's a big beardy bu@@er now.

My response when I found out in 1986 was on a slightly deeper level than 'so what ?', though.

As for the religious aspect, on occasions, he does think he's God's gift.................:o)

[Clanad]

I don't think it's justifiable to call it "life from scratch", Jake... the key phrase in the article clearly states "...Dr Venter's team intends to construct an organism with a "minimal genome" that can then be inserted into the shell of a bacterium.

By removing genes, one by one, from a bacterium called Mycoplasma genitalium they identified the minimum number of genes required for this particular organism to replicate, or reproduce, in its controlled environment."

So, taking genes from an existing bacterium down to the level where the bacterium can still (barely) replicate itself, inserting genes into other bacterium, thereby producing a hybrid, isn't, in my opinion, creating new life is it? In fact, it sounds suscpiciously similar to the gentically modified crops that have been developed for a number of years. These different crops (corn, wheat, etc.) have been modified by injecting various genes into the seed germs to produce crops that withstand drought or certain diseases. The public, for the most part, have reacted negatively to the consumption of such fare...

[Romeo]

That's nothing new. In America there are laws (the so-called 'Frankenstein Laws') which give a scientist the right to a patent for an organism created in a lab. As for the religious question, I would say 'so what?'.

[jake-the-peg]

OK the from scratch business is a bit too much but the point is that once you've stripped down the bacterium to the minimum set of genes for reproduction you have a basic vehicle that you can add new genes into - a geneticists Lego kit.

This could let us create microbes that absorb sunlight and excrete hydrogen for fuel or even human bone marrow to cure lukemia sufferers.

All the same the degree is beside the point, the basis of the question is whether life is something so special that if we created a life form that would be a major impact to religion?

After all it was less than 50 years from Crick and Watson to the first artificially created virus I'd not put money against it being done in another 50

By the way if you'd like a real laugh have a read here and see who called the first artifical virus (created by Eckard Wimmer) irresponsible

http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/07_0 2/polio_create.shtml