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Researchers One Step Closer To Creating Life

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute are potentially one step closer to creating life. In an experiment they recently created enzymes that can replicate and evolve. 'It kind of blew me away,' said team member Tracey Lincoln of the Scripps Research Institute, who is working on her Ph.D. 'What we have is non-living, but we've been able to show that it has some life-like properties, and that was extremely interesting.'"

28 of 292 comments (clear)

  1. wtf? by Anthony_Cargile · · Score: 5, Funny

    What we have is non-living, but we've been able to show that it has some life-like properties, and that was extremely interesting

    I bet robots would fascinate these people.

    1. Re:wtf? by Citizen+of+Earth · · Score: 5, Funny

      How many self-replicating-self-assembling robots have you seen...?

      I see them everywhere. On the street, at the mall, at work. They don't even know they're self-replicating-self-assembling robots.

    2. Re:wtf? by Shikaku · · Score: 4, Funny

      Obligatory XKCD comic:

      http://xkcd.com/387/

    3. Re:wtf? by MrNaz · · Score: 5, Funny

      WTF? Is that the best you can do? Your Slashdot license please...

      --
      I hate printers.
  2. Oblig by rehtonAesoohC · · Score: 5, Funny

    Movie quote:

    Male Character: "God creates dinosaurs. God kills dinosaurs. Man kills God. Man creates dinosaurs."
    Female Character: "Dinosaurs eat man... woman inherits the earth."

    Hah!

    1. Re:Oblig by Theoboley · · Score: 1, Funny

      Frankly, I don't know about you but I Kinda like "Creating Life"

      --
      Stupidity only gets you so far, then you've gotta try
  3. Finally... by zwekiel · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'll finally be one step closer to creating my race of manbearpigs.

  4. Funny Headline by Zephyrmation · · Score: 2, Funny

    Apparently there are no fertile researchers at the Scripps Research Institute?

  5. We were so close... by andrewd18 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Researcher quoted as saying: "I was so close... I took her out to eat, paid for the movie, laid on the charm as heavy as I could, but it wasn't enough. However, I do feel that I'm one step closer to creating life."

    1. Re:We were so close... by arminw · · Score: 2, Funny

      ....In case you missed it, I think God is a concept, not a being...

      Well, either your opinion is valid or Moses who talked to God. He asked God what his name was that he should tell the people. God replied: I am, tell them that "I AM" sent you. That expression is related to the word to be and that therefore makes God a being, not merely a concept.

      Jesus claimed to be God come to earth. Jesus was very much a living person, just as you are. He proved his claim to deity by rising from the dead after being executed in a most cruel way. You can say that you don't believe that, but you cannot say that it did not happen exactly as it is chronicled by eyewitnesses. Human courts generally give very high weight to the testimony of eyewitnesses. Those opposed to this testimony have tried, yet failed, for almost 2000 years now, to discredit the written legal deposition of what these witnesses saw, heard and experienced.

      One of the founders of Harvard Law School has carefully examined this written evidence by the standards all courts of law operate and found no way to discredit the testimony. If you want to read what he wrote, go here:

      http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/jesus/greenleaf.html

      Many today put forth the idea that there is no truth. Maybe you are one of the relatively few who disagrees with that and is still interested in truth.

      --
      All theory is gray
  6. Obligatory by girlintraining · · Score: 3, Funny

    Over half the world population has been able to create life for some time. Aren't you all a little late to the party? -_-

    --
    #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
    1. Re:Obligatory by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 5, Funny

      Over half the world population has been able to create life for some time. Aren't you all a little late to the party? -_-

      Aren't you be glad that you'd finally be able to create life without the services of a woman?

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    2. Re:Obligatory by MichaelSmith · · Score: 2, Funny

      Over half the world population has been able to create life for some time. Aren't you all a little late to the party? -_-

      Aren't you be glad that you'd finally be able to create life without the services of a woman?

      GP appears to be a woman.

    3. Re:Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Over half the world population has been able to create life for some time. Aren't you all a little late to the party? -_-

      We must share the means of production with the workers!

    4. Re:Obligatory by Shikaku · · Score: 2, Funny

      This is slashdot, and you don't WANT to let 2 women be able to reproduce?

    5. Re:Obligatory by Shikaku · · Score: 2, Funny

      2 girls 1 dish

  7. Eh.... by djupedal · · Score: 1, Funny

    A scientist enters a research laboratory.

    Dr. Praline: 'Ello, I wish to register a complaint.

    (The Intern does not respond.)

    Dr. Praline: 'Ello, Miss?

    Intern: What do you mean "miss"?

    Dr. Praline: I'm sorry, I have a cold. I wish to make a complaint!

    Intern: We're closin' for lunch.

    Dr. Praline: Never mind that, my lad. I wish to complain about this enzyme what I purchased not half an hour ago from this very facility.

    Intern: Oh yes, the, uh, the Norwegian Blue... What's,uh... What's wrong with it?

    Dr. Praline: I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. 'E's dead, that's what's wrong with it!

    Intern: No, no, 'e's uh,...he's resting.

    Dr. Praline: Look, matey, I know a dead enzyme when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.

    Intern: No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'! Remarkable compounds, the Norwegian Blue, idn'it, ay? Beautiful refraction!

    Dr. Praline: The compounds don't enter into it. It's stone dead.

    Intern: Nononono, no, no! 'E's resting!

    Dr. Praline: All right then, if he's restin', I'll wake him up! (shouting at the cage) 'Ello, Mister Polly enzyme! I've got a lovely fresh cuttle fish for you if you show...

    (Intern hits the cage)

    Intern: There, he moved!

    Dr. Praline: No, he didn't, that was you hitting the cage!

    Intern: I never!!

    Dr. Praline: Yes, you did!

    Intern: I never, never did anything...

    Dr. Praline: (yelling and hitting the cage repeatedly) 'ELLO POLLY!!!!! Testing! Testing! Testing! Testing! This is your nine o'clock alarm call!

    (Takes enzyme out of the cage and thumps its head on the counter. Throws it up in the air and watches it plummet to the floor.)

    Dr. Praline: Now that's what I call a dead enzyme.

    Intern: No, no.....No, 'e's stunned!

    Dr. Praline: STUNNED?!?

    Intern: Yeah! You stunned him, just as he was wakin' up! Norwegian Blues stun easily, major.

    Dr. Praline: Um...now look...now look, mate, I've definitely 'ad enough of this. That enzyme is definitely deceased, and when I purchased it not 'alf an hour ago, you assured me that its total lack of movement was due to it bein' tired and shagged out following a prolonged study.

    Intern: Well, he's...he's, ah...probably pining for the fjords.

    Dr. Praline: PININ' for the FJORDS?!?!?!? What kind of talk is that?, look, why did he fall flat on his back the moment I got 'im home?

    Intern: The Norwegian Blue prefers keepin' on it's back! Remarkable creature, id'nit, squire? Lovely compounds!

    Dr. Praline: Look, I took the liberty of examining that enzyme when I got it home, and I discovered the only reason that it had been sitting on its slide in the first place was that it had been NAILED there.

    (pause)

    Intern: Well, o'course it was nailed there!

  8. Researchers One Step Closer To Creating Life!! by Hojima · · Score: 3, Funny

    You mean some scientist out there almost got laid!? This IS one for the headlines! I just hope we'll be able to replicate the results with ease. God knows how many infeasible experiments big organizations have dangled in front of my low budget lab.

    1. Re:Researchers One Step Closer To Creating Life!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Actually, they jerked off in a petri dish so they're halfway there!

  9. Re:More conception jokes please! by GabriellaKat · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's because most men on /. can't last more then 8 min when trying to conceive.

    --
    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your politician, and hitting them?"
  10. Re:More conception jokes please! by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 5, Funny
    OK, here you go:

    What we have is non-living, but we've been able to show that it has some life-like properties, and that was extremely interesting.

    Great they cloned Keanu Reeves...

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  11. Obligatory Dave Barry quote by SIGBUS · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Life is anything that dies when you stomp on it."

    --
    Oh, no! You have walked into the slavering fangs of a lurking grue!
  12. Easy? by GoddessOfDeath · · Score: 3, Funny

    Easy? You must be new here.

  13. Re:Hopefully... by thewils · · Score: 3, Funny

    In an experiment they recently created enzymes that can replicate and evolve.

    If there's a chance it can evolve into Natalie Portman we're on the right track at least...

    --
    Once I was a four stone apology. Now I am two separate gorillas.
  14. Re:Proof of ID by Nathrael · · Score: 3, Funny

    But...if they weren't there in the first place, we would never have existed and thus wouldn't be able to send them back in time, and thus, we would not have evolved from them and could not...argh, time paradoxon, cognitive dissona%/!!7?NO CARRIER[/lameattemptathumor]

    --
    A good education is a bit like a STD - it makes you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and gives you a desire to spread it.
  15. Steps to creating life often missed by nerds by SupremoMan · · Score: 3, Funny

    1. Get woman

    2. Sleep with woman

    3. ????

    4. Create life

  16. Re:And where...and where...and where... by smoker2 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I was disappointed you equated Richard Dawkins and a troll. It seems to me that most of the problems currently on this earth are due to a) the Muslims, b) the Jews and c) the Christians.

    Fair play to anybody who stands up and says "Fuck off, God doesn't exist, what are you fighting about !". So much energy and life wasted on something whose whole purpose was to promote peace (allegedly).

    As a side note, it's vaguely interesting that the spellchecker in firefox complains about not using capital first letters for christians and muslims, but misunderstands jews completely.

  17. Re:Well they would but that's not the point. by mattwarden · · Score: 2, Funny

    > The primary reason this sort of research is interesting is because it might give
    > insight as to how abiogenesis occured

    Yeah right. This is just more grant money going to political cronies and left-wing, atheist Washington fat-cats. There has already been enough research on this topic to consider the matter closed.