It's Alive!

[Erickson]

Dr. Frankenstein, move over.  It has finally happened in real life.  For better or worse, scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute have successfully created a fully functional, self replicating synthetic life form from scratch.

Bio-chemistry and highly complex computer software have come together to generate life from the ground up.


Hamilton Smith and Clyde Hutchison aka "Ham & Clyde"

[Erickson]

I must admit that this is both exciting and a little frightening at the same time.  Let's just hope that these guys are taking proper precautions - whatever they may be.  The really scary part is the thought of this technology getting into the hands of bad-guys.  More complex life being created this way is probably a ways off, but that could mean just a few years.  I fully expect that anti-science woos will latch onto this as an excuse for us to ignore reality and embrace the 2012 doomsday nonsense.