Scientists to Build a Human Genome from Scratch?
What is likely dismissed of as just a mere product of wild imagination, a recent scientific report said that humans could now be close to creating his own kind from nothing.
According to Statnews, hundreds of scientists, business individuals as well as government officials from all over the world have gathered at a Harvard University to discuss the topic of creating human genomes from scratch.
Apparently, the meeting was held exclusively and no single member of the press was present to witness the proceeding. It took place on Tuesday, last week "to discuss the concept of an international project focused on large genome synthesis as the next chapter in our understanding of the blueprint of life," said George Church, a facilitator of the said event.
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Needless to say, the issue touches on so many things, philosophically and morally as it questions the meaning of life itself.
Laurie Zoloth, a professor from Northwestern University, said that the idea is "an enormous step for the human species" perhaps next to the moon landing in 1969 by the Apollo 11. For Zoloth, this topic should not be discussed behind closed doors as it involves basically every living being on this earth.
Church, however, clarified that much of the project is just a "thought experiment," meaning, everything is still at the brainstorming stage.
Synthesizing genomes from nothing basically involves the combination of the right molecules to create DNA. From there, researchers can build their way up to what nature has already been doing from time immemorial.
The news is in fact, not new. The J. Craig Venter Institute released a statement claiming that it has already created the first-ever synthetic cell of a bacterium.
As detailed in the press release, the project has actually been going on for nearly two decades already. The long process of constructing and booting up a synthetic cell now leads to the creation of the bacterium called M. mycoides.
