Recent Craig Venter, a controversial character (also a biochemist, if I remember correctly), who was involved in the "Human Genome" project, announced the creation of artificial life in the laboratory. In fact, it is a bacterium whose genetic material is completely synthetic. He says at one point that the synthesis was done with the help of a 4 dishes and of the computer. Actually it's about those 4 nitrogenous bases from the composition of DNA, which have been assembled according to a certain pattern to form viable genes.
What is new is the size of its genome, that is, the size of the synthesis. For artificial DNA can be synthesized automatically for some time. But the prices were high. I know that in college I made contact with that method.
Craig Venter had some very useful technological input on the project The Human Genome. But it went too far with gene-level patenting. Normally you don't patent things that exist in nature, so gene patenting is a bit much. Anyway, the rapidity with which Venter (Celery) he worked, rapid implementation of technological advances, it shows the superiority of the private environment over the state environment in all kinds of business. Anyway, this controversial character says a lot of good things, including the fact that some research can only be done with private funding, because the current funding system does not favor bold research.
And, it's a great technological achievement, which must be welcomed. But it's too much to say it's artificial life. At most it's artificial life in the mirror. Genetically modified organisms (bacteria with inserted foreign genes) they have been produced for some time. But now it has gone all the way. True artificial life would be something that produces de novo metabolism, starting from some relatively simple organic substances and applying some principles to create an environment that would lead to the phenomena specific to the living world. But I am convinced that life can be created in the laboratory, but I think the lack of theoretical models still speaks for itself.
But back to the artificial bacteria, it is commendable. It's good for scientists to flex their muscles once in a while, to remove prejudices. From the cloning of a mammal, I think this is the most notable achievement of this type. After all, it's still a kind of cloning...
