Synthetic DNA About To Yield New Life Forms

mlimber sends along a Washington Post story about the immanence of completely artificial life: "The cobbling together of life from synthetic DNA, scientists and philosophers agree, will be a watershed event, blurring the line between biological and artificial — and forcing a rethinking of what it means for a thing to be alive... Some experts are worried that a few maverick companies are already gaining monopoly control over the core 'operating system' for artificial life and are poised to become the Microsofts of synthetic biology. That could stifle competition, they say, and place enormous power in a few people's hands."

Comments

Re:Obgl.

[sm62704]

Now researchers are poised to cross a dramatic barrier: the creation of life forms driven by completely artificial DNA.

Somebody needs to kick these reporters in their crystal balls. Wake me up when they stop poising and start crossing, ok? The future is now. The future is bunk.

Washington Post story about the immanence of completely artificial life:

Was "immanence" a typo; a misspelling of "imminence" as the context of the summary seems to imply, or did the submitter really mean

1. remaining within; indwelling; inherent.
2. Philosophy. (of a mental act) taking place within the mind of the subject and having no effect outside of it. Compare transeunt.
3. Theology. (of the Deity) indwelling the universe, time, etc. Compare transcendent (def. 3).

?

-mcgrew