Scientists of J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland has announced that they have successfully created an entire synthetic genome in the laboratory. They did it by stitching together the DNA of Mycoplasma genitalium, the smallest known free-living bacterium. This success could lead to the "routine" creation of synthetic genomes, for the benefits of humankind. It will also help in creation of synthetic life in the lab!
This new achievement is an important second step in a three-step process to the creation of synthetic life, said research leader Hamilton Smith, a biologist and Nobel laureate at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland.
The first step, reported last year by the same team, was the successful transplantation of a genome from one species of bacteria into another, effectively switching the bug's identity. The team is now working on the third step. The third step in creation of synthetic life involves taking the chemically synthesized DNA, which is in the test tube, and putting it into a bacterium where it can take over and produce a synthetic cell. Link
This new achievement is an important second step in a three-step process to the creation of synthetic life, said research leader Hamilton Smith, a biologist and Nobel laureate at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland.
The first step, reported last year by the same team, was the successful transplantation of a genome from one species of bacteria into another, effectively switching the bug's identity. The team is now working on the third step. The third step in creation of synthetic life involves taking the chemically synthesized DNA, which is in the test tube, and putting it into a bacterium where it can take over and produce a synthetic cell. Link
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