Scientists Create First Self-Replicating Synthetic Life

[gubbi]

But after diagnosis and detecting the unwanted genes it's possible to possible to replace those genes with the desired genes before transfered to the embryo to stop genetically transfered diseases, right? Look at the quoted portion in below where it is said that

those chromosomes can be detect during diagnosis and it's possible to eliminate those unwanted genes to avoid further genetic diseases.

Theoretically yes, and practically in the laboratory, yes. Heck, we routinely remove and replace/introduce genes in microbes in the lab. But doing that in a developing embryo is quite a complicated task, not to mention an ethical issue. Doing it in a full grown adult is much more complicated. We do not fully understand how the human body works at the molecular/cellular level.

Normally in Gene Therapy, we use viruses to help insert the correct gene into the Chromosomes in the cells. It is quite tricky, the virus has to be inactivated (kind of killed - they are not actually alive) - just like in some vaccines that you take in your infancy. The gene has to be inserted in the correct place in the huge DNA molecule (the human DNA from a single cell is 2nm thick and 3 mts long, coiled up in a very complex structure - called the chromatin/genomic DNA/chromosomes - inside the nucleus of the cell!). Wrong place insertions and anything can go wrong, like cancer etc. This whole process is not exactly a fine tuned one, more like a coarse adjustment.

There are a lot of problems with gene therapy. It is however at a very nascent stage, so cross your fingers! A reliable procedure should be available in a few years time, provided US does bump up the NIH budget by another few billions!

 

[Realist]

LOL Craig Venter at it again

 

[gubbi]

LOL Craig Venter at it again

Seems like a typical narcissistic guy to me. But then aren't all scientists?

 

[Realist]

Seems like a typical narcissistic guy to me. But then aren't all scientists?

Tell me about it, if it wasnt for him, i wouldnt have to sit an exam on Celera's whole shotgun approach towards the human genome project next week!

All is good i guess...

 

[Skies]

that means the unhealthy ones cant be made healthy..they are discarded..so as a matter of fact its not a treatment.....

As gubbbi said: "Gene therapy does exactly what its supposed to do". May be in future (or already now) it will be possible treating genetic diseases by genetic engineering. With the elapse of time genetic engineering is developing and new techniques are applying in medicals and pharmaceutical areas to diagnosis of diseases and to treatment of genetic diseases. Due to mutation which alters DNA sequence and inappropriate expressions of genes occur that leads to genetic diseases, such diseases can be diagnosed by DNA analysis.

In genetic diseases the ill-protein (responsible for disease) is not delivered to body, but the gene itself is delivered that produces ill/unwanted proteins. So by Recombinant DNA technology (rDNA) it is possible to insert corrected or desired gene in to the target tissue where ill-proteins were producing. So may be in future the scientists won't have to discard defected embryo but treat the defected embryo which is still not efficient and error free process.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Copy is not CREATE

What I want to see is scientist , puts soil mud , water in bucket
zap it with cosmic rays ... and out pops life


Now Quarn states adam was created from earth , etc in essesnce it makes scientific sense ...

Life was created in soil , and from its evolution Adam was created
we don't know what is a day in term of god's calender , 1 day could be 7 billion years long etc ...

7 days and 7 nights ... could be 7 billion days /nights


In any case, I do feel that if right composition of items is replicated life can be formed - but we don't know the combination do we?


But life can exist in sulphur rich waters ... so we don't know or understand every thing its beyond our capabilities

Just watch youtube videos on stars in universe and their size ration to our sun and you will understand

 

[gubbi]

Copy is not CREATE

What I want to see is scientist , puts soil mud , water in bucket
zap it with cosmic rays ... and out pops life

That is what exactly happened during the pre-historic period! When the Earth was cooling down, rudimentary molecules happened to interact with each other and started to replicate!

Check out "Primordial Soup/Abiogenesis".

Scientists actually were kind of successful in creating amino acids (the building blocks of life) from such a mixture in a laboratory back in 1953!!

Miller–Urey experiment

Now Quarn states adam was created from earth , etc in essesnce it makes scientific sense ...

Life was created in soil , and from its evolution Adam was created
we don't know what is a day in term of god's calender , 1 day could be 7 billion years long etc ...

7 days and 7 nights ... could be 7 billion days /nights

I shall not comment on the theories propounded by religious texts or figures (scientific evidence points otherwise), but life was actually created in the seas, not in the soil!

But life can exist in sulphur rich waters ... so we don't know or understand every thing its beyond our capabilities

Sulfur is one of the essential elements which participated in formation of some amino acids. It is even involved in regulation of protein structure and in some cases protein function!
Sulfur rich environments are usually found near geo-thermal vents or places which spout hot water from deep within the Earth's crust. Life forms exist in such hot environments and are known as thermophiles (heat loving). These creatures produce an exceptional repertoire of proteins which help prevent the denaturing of other proteins and hence such organisms survive in such hostile conditions!

Just watch youtube videos on stars in universe and their size ration to our sun and you will understand

Astrobiology is quite an interesting subject. But all we humans know are Carbon based life forms, for the simple reason that the valency of carbon (valency 4 - can form 2, 3, or 4 bonds with same or different elements at a time!). But keep in mind that the most abundant element in the universe is Hydrogen followed by Helium! There is a remote possibility that life forms based on a different element probably do exist some where in the vast universe!

 

[IndianArmy]

This indeed is a great achievement, Creating an artificial Human being is not too far from here I guess

 

[gubbi]

This indeed is a great achievement, Creating an artificial Human being is not too far from here I guess

Quite the contrary! There is no way that an "artificial" human being can be ever created. Not in the near future and not even in the distant future!

We cannot create even simple AI which can replicate simple human movements/reflexes!

And as for the achievement, its not exactly a big deal. Well, maybe we had it coming, but not exactly an Earth shattering discovery!

 

[Durran3]

Hereditary disorders passed down generations due to mutations or defects in the genetic make up cannot be "cured" per se. An attempt was made in the recent past through Gene Therapy, wherein an attempt is made to replace the aberrant gene with its normal gene sequence. Though the procedure works smoothly in laboratory conditions, in the human body the procedure failed. In the recent clinical trials, some patients treated with this gene therapy developed cancer - a totally unforeseen consequence.

The only way out, is to clinically manage the conditions and symptoms of the disease/disorder, for now, with drugs. Maybe in the future someone, or maybe even I, might come up with something novel (you'll can pay me royalties later) where we can make sure that gene therapy does exactly what its supposed to do.

[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the Information. They are coming out with a new Drug (i forgot the name) which basically controls the dopamine levels in the brain to stop/slow down the symptoms and replaces dead brain cells with healthy brain cells (so I've heard). Since Huntington disease consists of involuntary movements, controlling those movements via increasing and decreasing dopamine levels in the brain allows the patient to actually live a normal life.

 

[IndianArmy]

Quite the contrary! There is no way that an "artificial" human being can be ever created. Not in the near future and not even in the distant future!

We cannot create even simple AI which can replicate simple human movements/reflexes!

And as for the achievement, its not exactly a big deal. Well, maybe we had it coming, but not exactly an Earth shattering discovery!

For cloning we needed to take a tissue, but if a replicating cell can be created, why take a tissue from external Source,when You can create one, think about it?

 

[JonAsad]

It can be used in one war, the war against religion! Now we know that we don't need a 'God' to create life! Take that ya fanatics. Get shocked as your dogma is ripped apart by science!

First of all you are an Athiest secondly you are stupid... go create a athiest army and declare war on all religions.. BS

 

[sohan]

First of all you are an Athiest secondly you are stupid... go create a athiest army and declare war on all religions.. BS

Adults with imaginary friends are stupid.

 

[JonAsad]

Adults with imaginary friends are stupid.

I have a medical condition known as "cannot understand one liner BS syndrome"
Say it again this time be a little less brief.

 

[Durran3]

Stop derailing this thread please..