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Florida Lab Gets Pregnant

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the also-no-one-has-heard-from-them-in-days dept.

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."

10 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. AEGIS has been in commercial use for years by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    KFC rolled theirs out years ago.

  2. I won't believe its alive until ... by Tired+and+Emotional · · Score: 5, Funny

    it engulfs its first white lab coated scientist.

    --
    Squirrel!
    1. Re:I won't believe its alive until ... by MadnessASAP · · Score: 4, Funny

      Do you mean a white scientist with a lab coat, a scientist in a white lab coat, or a white scientist coated in a lab?

      --
      I may agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to face the consequences of saying it.
  3. Nerds + genetic-engineering = ...boobs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who wants to bet me $20 they just use this technology to invent the first self-replicating pet-boob?

    1. Re:Nerds + genetic-engineering = ...boobs by gardyloo · · Score: 4, Funny

      Pffft. There are already synthetic boobies.

      Aim lower.

      Synthetic boobies for really old ladies?

  4. Re:Um, guys.... by Intron · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's the first intelligently designed evolving system.

    --
    Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
  5. Re:OT: online news by QuasiEvil · · Score: 4, Funny

    Clearly if I made artificial life, I'd put it on an ASIC. Otherwise you'd just have too many discrete components and general purpose things to get it in a tiny package.

    Then again I'm an EE, and I equate everything biological to the word "slimy" in my mind. Mechanical life for the win...

  6. Re:A first by PitaBred · · Score: 3, Funny

    Nope! That's why it's news.

    --
    My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
  7. Re:World domination by jamstar7 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Any organism we make in a vat would, I suspect, not last terribly long on the outside.

    Particularly in the Deep South, where barbeque is almost a religion on its own.

    People for Eating Tasty Animals, anyone?

    --
    Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
  8. Re:A first by witherstaff · · Score: 3, Funny
    Yeah, I can see the nobel committee giving a prize for really shoddy documentation like so :

    Diary of creating new life :
    • Turned on the light of the lab
    • Opened up the experiment to the rest of the expansive lab
    • Added a little water
    • Played with the lights to have cyclic on off cycles
    • We let the lab bring forth living creatures
    • Took a much needed day off