Controversial news in science. I
June 18, 2010
A few days ago reading newspapers online I found an article that really impressed me. By one side it informed of an outstanding advance in science, and by the other what is amazing for me is the story of the scientist who is the leader of this ambitious project.. On Friday May 21st, 2010 the journal Science published this article written by Craig McMurtrie and it is triggering excitement in the growing field of synthetic biology. The article informs that a team of Scientists in the US led by Dr. Craig Venter of the J. Craig Venter Institute, in Maryland California have succeeded in developing the first living cell to be controlled entirely by synthetic DNA. The team constructed a bacterium's "genetic software", assembling the DNA and transplanted it into a recipient or host cell to create a new species M. mycoides JCVI-syn1.0(Source: Science/AAAS) Somehow synthetic DNA could really take over and drive a living cell which then looked and behaved like the species "dictated" by this synthetic DNA. This "new organism" was nicknamed Synthia, and Dr Venter believes Synthia will pave the way for more complex creatures that he expects will be able to transform environmental waste into clean fuel, vaccinate against disease and soak up pollution. This entirely new form of "synthetic life" has generated a big controversy in the World of science, related to possible huge risks as well as possible huge benefits for life on Earth. But as controversy continues this undeniable advance has been hailed by several serious scientists as a scientific landmark. As I remarked before I felt really curious about the leader of this project Dr. Craig Venter's life. His name is John Craig Venter and he was born on October 14, 1946, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since very young he had school troubles, he wasn't a remarkable student, actually he didn't appear to have much of a good future. He didn't take his education seriously, preferring to "waste" his time surfing or on water boats. He nearly flunked out of &#&high school&#&. In spite of this John graduated from Mills &#&High School&#&, where it's said he excelled in shop class and decided to continue studying at a &#&community college&#& entering College of San Mateo in California. |