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Earl Aagaard’s opinions about everything that interests him. Og also enjoys gardening, travel, reading, woodbutchery, and lots of other stuff.

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TIME MAGAZINE SAYS THAT CRAIG VENTER HAS “CREATED LIFE - ALMOST”

Working with only the four basic nucleotides that make up all DNA — adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine — he has assembled an entirely new chromosome for an entirely new one-celled creature. Insert that genome into a cell — like inserting a disc into a computer — and a new species of living thing will be booted up. Venter hasn’t done that yet, which is why even he won’t say that he has technically invented life. He has, however, already shown that a genome transplanted from an existing cell to another will shut down the host’s genetic programming and bring its own online. If that cellular body-snatching works with an ordinary chromosome, there’s little reason to think it won’t with a manufactured one.

Oh, please…….. “Create life”?

He didn’t even create the monomers he used to assemble the new DNA molecule!! And the DNA molecule he DID construct will have to be put into a pre-existing cell...a cell already filled with specialized biochemistry and micro-machinery that Venter had nothing to do with creating. Maybe the Venter DNA will actually be able to direct the functioning of that pre-existing cell, and maybe it won’t. Using the DNA from a different living cell doesn’t really tell us anything about whether the artificial chromosome is going to work. Besides, Venter hasn’t even DONE IT, yet…...so a really easy and straightforward test hasn’t been done—why not?

This makes the whole article a piece of propaganda in favor of the particular world-view supported by Time and Venter. Don’t believe me? READ THE WHOLE THING

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 01/31 at 08:11 PM

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