Scientists create synthetic DNA that replicates itself

Scientific breakthroughs are always exciting to know of, and they become all the more exhilarating when it reflects on possibility of an artificial life. Okay, the researchers haven’t made your replica, but have created a synthetic genome which has properties to help it self-replicate. In a research led by J. Craig Venter Institute’s Craig Venter, the scientists have devised a method to create a synthetic species of Bacteria using specially made genes.

synthetic genome

To create the synthetic genome called Mycoplasma mycoides, the scientist first chemically synthesized a bacterial genome and then using nuclear transfer technique transplanted the genome into a bacteria, which happened to replicate itself - creating second generation of the synthetic DNA. The research is an outcome of some 15 years of labor and millions of Dollars, but it success has opened doors for better vaccines, medical development, biofuels and who know – artificial life some time down the line.

Via: io9