Artificial Life May Be Possible Within Ten Years

CapedOpossum writes "According to an article from a few weeks back on CNN, researchers in the field of genetics and biology think that we may be able to artificially create life within the next decade. From the article: '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. Bedau said there are legitimate worries about creating life that could run amok, but there are ways of addressing it, and it will be a very long time before that is a problem.'"

Comments

legitimate worries

[morgan_greywolf]

Bedau said there are legitimate worries about creating life that could run amok I, for one, welcome our new artificially-created overlords!

Amok, amok, amok!

So...

[rrohbeck]

we're going to *grow* flying cars?

Re:So...

[dgatwood]

Suddenly seeing a Sci-Fi commercial for Eureka. Something along the lines of "Remember, if you're creating a new pet, don't make it a carnivore. When adding a new member to the family, you shouldn't risk the old ones."

Live smart, Slashdot.

Woo Hoo!

[n6kuy]

Artificial Intelligent Design!

Re:Seriously

[Anonymous Coward]

Apparently not too hard; you only took 9 months of development.

Artificial Life May Be Possible Within Ten Years

[zeromorph]

[...] we may be able to artificially create life within the next decade. [...], and it will be a very long time before that is a problem.

Let me venture a guess... 10 years?

reminds me of my fav. joke.....

[Taimat]

Humans have become so technically evolved that they can now make a living, breathing person.

A summit of scientists believed that because they now had the power to create life, God was no longer needed. So they all decided that someone should go and tell God this. One man volunteered to go. One day he climbed a mountain and called upon God.

"God! We humans now have the ability to bring people from the dead, we can create our own life, we don't need you anymore so you can leave us alone."

God listened to the scientist and nodded his head. "Okay, I'll tell you what, if you can really create life, let's have a competition, if you can create a better person than me, I'll go, but we'll have to do it the way I did it in the old days."

So the scientist agrees and begins to collect some dirt to make his person. God simply watches him and finally asks him what he's doing.

"I'm using the dirt to make a person."

God smiles, looks at the scientist and replies, "Go make your own dirt."

Artificial woman

[javamann]

So, if I created an artificial woman I'm betting she still wouldn't go out with me.

Re:It's Alive!

[Dogtanian]

Next thing we know, our streets are filled with wandering empty shells with no knowledge of "right" and "wrong". They already are. Duh.

yeah, yeah...

[zeromorph]

46 chromosomes ought to be enough for anybody.

Re:Seriously

[jollyreaper]

Apparently not too hard; you only took 9 months of development. And was brought onto the market underdeveloped and incapable of self-support, puking and shitting on the people taking care of him, keeping them up at night. Wow, by this standard, Microsoft Vista must be alive!

Existing technology is better

[EmbeddedJanitor]

I personally prefer the existing technology used to create life.