Artificial Life Closer

Satanus

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/4104483.stm

Researchers at Rockefeller University in the US have made the first tentative steps towards creating a form of artificial life.

The soft cell walls are made of fat molecules taken from egg white. The cell contents are an extract of the common gut bug E. coli, stripped of all its genetic material.
This essence of life contains ready-made much of the biological machinery needed to make proteins; the researchers also added an enzyme from a virus to allow the vesicle to translate DNA code.
When they added genes, the cell fluid started to make proteins, just like a normal cell would.

A gene for green fluorescent protein taken from a species of jellyfish was the first they tried. The glow from the protein showed that the genes were being transcribed.
With a second gene, from the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, the researchers got their cells to make small pores in their walls.
These let nutrients in from the surrounding "soup", so that the cells could function, in some instances, for several days.

This is progress toward the creation of 'life', whatever that is. Imo, reaching the point where scientists can assemble a viable life form will help to answer what life really is. Is it a spirit which makes it's home in the biomechanical organism? Does life spring from matter itself?

At any rate, this is a sign that one day natural reproduction will find some competition in laboratories. Yes, jesus, you were right when you said that we are gods.

S

gumby

Oh isn't that just special......now when someone wants to have a kid, instead of hopping in bed and goin at it like rabbits, they'll get down a bowl from the cupboard, put eggs and jellyfish in the bowl, then have a damn kid come out who smells like eggs and stings people. What's this friggin world comin to?

Gumby

Satanus

You can have him glow green in the dark too. No doubt other colors will be added later on.

S

GentlyFeral

Gumby,

Oh isn't that just special......now when someone wants to have a kid, instead of hopping in bed and goin at it like rabbits, they'll get down a bowl from the cupboard, put eggs and jellyfish in the bowl, then have a damn kid come out who smells like eggs and stings people. What's this friggin world comin to?

Satanus,

You can have him glow green in the dark too. No doubt other colors will be added later on.

My boygoth daughter has told me she doesn?t ever want kids, but she may change her mind now.

You are describing my future grandchildren, I just know it. But I?ll teach ?em to be proud of who they are, don?t worry.

GentlyFeral

William Penwell

Oh isn't that just special......now when someone wants to have a kid, instead of hopping in bed and goin at it like rabbits,

I like the traditional, old fashioned way much better.

Will

Satanus

Gently

http://www.txtwriter.com/Backgrounders/Genomics/Genomicspage1.html

The human genome contains several hundred genes that bacteria also have. It wouldn't surprise me at all if there is already a glow in the dark gene in the human dna. All they gotta do is turn it on like turning on a light switch

S

seeitallclearlynow

Yes, Satanus, maybe future generations will have glow in the dark eyes, like cats. That might be cool.

ohiocowboy

Wow!!! That is sooo freaky...

Does life spring from matter

So much for the days when life sprung from activities on mattresses...

bem

I am ROTFLM backside off at you all,,, you'd laugh to if you seen me doing it! All that and we can still be politically correct.

You are describing my future grandchildren, I just know it. But I?ll teach ?em to be proud of who they are, don?t worry.

GentlyFeral

I love it! Dorothy.

ko38

Satanus,in your opinion do you feel that this would qualify as to snatching to equality of God?

Artificial Life Closer

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