Forget GMOs. Those organisms are small potatoes in the world of freaky things scientists with too much time, money and brains are playing around with. The new thing that's emerging from the Little Shop of Horrors in universities across the planet is synthetic DNA. The technology and know how have been around for a few years but recently these scientists have inserted synthetic DNA into cells and replaced the biological DNA, taking over the cell's natural operations.
What we are talking about here is the creation of lifeforms driven completely by artificial DNA. DNA that is made by hand, by scientists who dream of eliminating inefficient biological processes and replacing them with the sound and time tested discipline of engineering. And their guru is MIT's Tom Knight. Mr. Knight views life as a machine and cells as a chassis for the artificial lifeforms he wants to assemble. His dream is to create standardized parts for building these lifeforms that may produce useful things for humanity. In fact, he and his colleges have begun developing hundreds of Lego-like components which they have given the catchy name of BioBricks to.
That's right! Engineers envisioning a world of interchangeable bricks that are alive and building all sorts of weird lifeforms to run amok on the planet, self replicating at will with other BioBricks and forming goddess knows what! But we shouldn't worry about any of that, right? Scientists and engineers have done such a good job with chemicals, plastics and gene splicing. Try imagining a Love Canal in your neighborhood that is not only extremely toxic but is also alive and reproducing!
Now companies have got into the act because as all good economists know, someone has got to gain the monopoly on the "core operating system" and become the Microsoft of the synthetic lifeform market. One such company is Synthetic Genomics which wants to use custom-designed DNA to get living cells to produce fuels, medicine and other useful products. Craig Venter, Synthetic Genomics CEO sees the fuel market alone to be worth $1 trillion.
I know, I know. You faithful technology worshipers are saying "Wait Earth Pope, you're getting all worked up for no reason. These companies only want to produce good things and be helpful to humanity." To which I chortle out loud at the stupidity and naiveté of the innocent consumers of the planet shelling out their hard earned dollars for the latest techno-wonder.
As in most cases only a handful of advocacy groups are out there trying to get this madness on the agenda of other suspicious lifeforms--politicians. These predatory organisms are unfortunately the best line of defense we have to debate and regulate the development and release of software DNA into living cells. As one group recently stated in a report, "The danger is not just bio-terror but bio-error."
But let's not let those statistically unproven hypothetical scenarios put the brakes on this life changing technological breakthrough. I mean think about it for a moment. There is so much biological diversity on this planet, taking up space and consuming precious oxygen, food and water, and very little of that diversity are actually resources for human consumption. Now, with synthetic DNA all life has the chance to be what God intended to be--resources for human consumption. With a little reprogramming birds, fish and mammals with no economic value at all can become useful economic units with their own column on the financial spreadsheet of life.
Isn't that worth taking to the bank?
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