Computer for a parent
in [Physics]
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From: Sam Wormley on 21 May 2010 01:21 NEWS: Man-made Genetic Instructions Yield Living Cells for the First Time Scientists create the first microbe to live under the instruction of DNA synthesized in the lab http://cl.exct.net/?qs=09ca03c36b2a89ee0be740772f7160cd2c792747b22deb158aefc3dc8cc6829d "This is the first self-replicating cell on the planet to have a computer for a parent," said J. Craig Venter during a press briefing on May 20. "It's also the first species to have a Web site in its genetic code."
From: Benj on 21 May 2010 01:41 On May 21, 1:21 am, Sam Wormley <sworml...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > NEWS: Man-made Genetic Instructions Yield Living Cells for the > First Time Scientists create the first microbe to live under > the instruction of DNA synthesized in the labhttp://cl.exct.net/?qs=09ca03c36b2a89ee0be740772f7160cd2c792747b22deb... > > "This is the first self-replicating cell on the planet to have a > computer for a parent," said J. Craig Venter during a press briefing on > May 20. "It's also the first species to have a Web site in its genetic > code." OF course the media is all breathless over the idea of "a computer as a parent", but the truth here seems to remain illusive. What I mean is that one obviously can use a synthetic DNA construction to create any programmed sequence. If, for example, the computer file is simply a copy of the DNA of some given life-form and is inserted into a cell and grows, this is not especially dramatic. There is no known differences between "synthetic DNA" and "natural DNA". Now if the computer file, is a bunch of spliced DNA segments of actual organisms, the experiment gets more interesting, but really does not extend past what is already underway as "genetic modification". The ultimate experiment, of course, would be a wholly computer created DNA sequence simply based upon genetic rules and an understanding of how DNA sequences affect the organism in question. That would be impressive. But I sincerely doubt that our understanding of DNA genetics is at this point today...even in classified labs. Hence, my guess is that this experiment, while interesting, is not much if at all past normal genetic modification with synthetic DNA used for cloning.
From: Uncle Al on 21 May 2010 10:27
Sam Wormley wrote: > > NEWS: Man-made Genetic Instructions Yield Living Cells for the > First Time Scientists create the first microbe to live under > the instruction of DNA synthesized in the lab > http://cl.exct.net/?qs=09ca03c36b2a89ee0be740772f7160cd2c792747b22deb158aefc3dc8cc6829d > > "This is the first self-replicating cell on the planet to have a > computer for a parent," said J. Craig Venter during a press briefing on > May 20. "It's also the first species to have a Web site in its genetic > code." Is it on Welfare yet? -- Uncle Al http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/ (Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals) http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/qz4.htm |