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Florida Lab Gets Pregnant
Synthetic Biology, a relatively new field, is seeking to find out what happened to a bunch of chemicals to make them capable of supporting a metabolism, replicating, and evolution. A Florida lab is showing some of the most promising advancements in this direction with their AEGIS (Artificially Expanded Genetic Information System) experiment. "AEGIS is not self-sustaining, at least not yet, and with 12 DNA building blocks -- as opposed to the usual four -- there's little chance it will be confused with natural life. Still, Benner is encouraged by the results. 'It's evolving. It's doing what we designed it to do,' said Benner, a biochemist with the Gainesville, Fla.-based Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution. In addition to providing an example of how alien life might be cobbled together, synthetic biology has a broad array of uses on the home front."
Honey, we're pregnant.
KFC rolled theirs out years ago.
Grey goo, here we come.
In addition to providing an example of how alien life might be cobbled together, synthetic biology has a broad array of uses on the home front
Oh yes! Like holding the world hostage!! Now where can I get some mind-controlling synthetic life forms? (don't forget the insulin dependence).
Qxe4
it engulfs its first white lab coated scientist.
Squirrel!
Who wants to bet me $20 they just use this technology to invent the first self-replicating pet-boob?
Isn't that statement eating itself?
I judt got a nre Kinesis keybiartf so please excusr ant egregiou typos.
ah forget it
the kind of pet I'll happily adopt and care for with "love".
Don't blaim me! I thought she was on the pill!
Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
are there any details available? Please?
For the sake of argument, if scientists start "guiding" synthetic life through "evolution" in the lab, isn't that ID?
If so, does it boost the ID argument for *our* creation?
Hmmm......
So when it starts reproducing itself, how long will it take to stop it?
Researchers in a Florida laboratory are working with the most asic building blocks of life to try and understand how biology first arose on Earth â" and how it might appear on other planets.
Seriously, I know these pages are assembled by software from other sources but don't they have spell checking built into them? Lots of otherwise good news sources I read have stupid typos in their online versions. Right now firefox is underlining "asic" for me, pointing out the mistake. It seems like every second article has something like this. It just seems so easy to fix. I wonder why that isn't done.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
An intelligently designed biological system capable of evolution.
Gee, that's never been done before.
FTA: "Researchers in a Florida laboratory are working with the most asic building blocks of life...."
I didn't realize that life could be built from blocks of Application Specific Integrated Circuits. Hmmmm.
In times of universal deceit, telling the truth gets you modded -1 Troll
And we Dub this "T-Virus"....
Where are the tax cuts Obama promised for 95% of us?
AEGIS ate the economy, so there's no money left.
where x=fiction
It's ALIVE!
can sue a scientist for child support and alimony for getting her pregnant?
Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
I mean breeding Labradors is not really big news. Even in Florida.
Make even shorter URLs - 8LN.org
I for one welcome our new genetically-crafted superior being overlords. Almost... not.. quite.
Am I the only one that assumed the CHOPS program cured homosexuality via traumatic castration?
Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
Why do ludites (not accusing you) think artifical nanotech would NOT be eaten by the natural nanotech found around and within us? The people who think scientists can build such a machine are the ones who are guilty of hubris, not the scientists.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
> 'It's evolving. It's doing what we designed it to do...'
It's almost like a scientist is saying that evolution can take place as the result of an intelligent design process.
I'm sure I'll get flamed for saying that.
Things like, "Certainly not this evolution, and certainly no intelligence could be great enough to have foreseen it." After all, we're number one. The smartest. No possibility of anything greater.
After all, extrapolation is only for climate data, and then, only on hot days.
Georgia enters child support negotiations.
when they trounce cell theory. A bunch of chemicals which preferentially catalyze feedstock to produce identical/similar chemicals is interesting, and very difficult to do from scratch, but I want CELLS! Self enclosed systems.
I suppose cells are not really needed for life, but it seems pretty clear that they provide certain advantages, especially in terms of not just getting washed away.
On the topic of ID: just because there is a chemical reaction that seems to be approaching the fuzzy definition of life we've developed so far, and that reaction is intelligently designed, does not really have anything to do with the real problems that exist with pushing Intelligent Design as an alternate theory to evolution for explaining life.
This comes up a lot when people want to talk about both religion and science. They exist in different domains. Religion does not propose testable, predictive hypotheses. Science does not purport to provide meaning for existence.
Intelligent Design is not scientific.
Genetic evolution is not religious.
People can chose to reconcile religion and science, or pit them against each other. It is only when one or both are misused that there is conflict.
That said, the misuse and conflict almost always comes from the religious side. That is based on personal experience and I have no numbers to back it up.
ivan
Like to brew? Want to talk about it? Brattlebrew: groups.yahoo.com/group/brattlebrew
I often hope that some of the advanced new technologies come with an equally advanced brain able to harness it for the good or at least prevent things with huge implications like that from doing what the Mayans did to themselves... They were ahead of their time - and where are they now?
Why not come up with a solution that would make sure our memory span lasts at least a few decades after leaving school, and give the researches that extra oomph of critical (security centered) thinking that's required to make it worthwhile. Start with Chicago.
End of Days (end of douchebag is more like it)? Quit trying to sound like you know something you dumb shit. You're too stupid to live moron.
The only thing that is stupid here is you End of Douchebag.