All the structures inside of a cell (nucleus and so forth) already existed.
They removed the DNA from the nucleus of a living cell, and replaced it with DNA that was (using chemical processes) artificially created.
The artificial DNA was created by first reverse-engineering the original genome of this species of bacteria; and then modifying it.
They've been trying to do this for something like 15 years. Ergo, (even though the media hasn't reported it); every other bacterium that they've done this DNA replacement procedure on has died.
So, all that has happened is that they've done in effect, a heart transplant with a completely artificial heart on a molecular level. The bacterium could not be 'dead' for long; otherwise the delicate internal structures that allow it to live would not have been able to return to processing food and reproducing.
The bad news- we now have the tools that could really kill us all in a way that is totally unstoppable.
The good news- the conception of algae that eats carbon dioxide and spits out oil products, or eats oil products and spits out carbon dioxide, etc, is in the realm of possibility.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2010-05-22 10:32 am (UTC)They removed the DNA from the nucleus of a living cell, and replaced it with DNA that was (using chemical processes) artificially created.
The artificial DNA was created by first reverse-engineering the original genome of this species of bacteria; and then modifying it.
They've been trying to do this for something like 15 years. Ergo, (even though the media hasn't reported it); every other bacterium that they've done this DNA replacement procedure on has died.
So, all that has happened is that they've done in effect, a heart transplant with a completely artificial heart on a molecular level. The bacterium could not be 'dead' for long; otherwise the delicate internal structures that allow it to live would not have been able to return to processing food and reproducing.
The bad news- we now have the tools that could really kill us all in a way that is totally unstoppable.
The good news- the conception of algae that eats carbon dioxide and spits out oil products, or eats oil products and spits out carbon dioxide, etc, is in the realm of possibility.
Pandora has opened yet another box.