Poptripica Poptripica Cheats ?

FESTIVAL AND 'NEW LIFE AS

Dear Alice,
is by day I find myself in a limbo of uncertainty mixed with enthusiasm for a news story that made headlines in the world of academic science and at the same time in the media around the world.

We know that lately the newspapers tend to throw all kinds of news regarding the scientific or pseudoscientific treat everyone the same way as if they were the latest gossip hours. We often speak of revolutions in every field, from molecular biology to genetics until the last big news this week: the creation of artificial life.

Behind this story there is a character, at least in the scientific world, is quite controversial. They live in Craig Venter, in perfect harmony, at least so it seems, two souls: one researcher's smart, sharp, with a strong propensity to genetics (he managed to beat the time researchers from the U.S. government in the project of sequencing the human genome ) and that of the ruthless, in search of stratospheric earnings and fame.

I think in this particular case we should be able to look beyond the person who embodies the hopes and fears at this time for a different future of our planet and the human species in general.

fact that pleasantly surprised me in this whole affair were the general reactions to the launch of this news. The response from the church, scientists and ordinary people that science means little, but who want to participate in a wider debate. First things first. What really happened?

Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0 is an invention that could revolutionize biology: it is a synthetic cell created by a team of 25 researchers led by J. Craig Venter and carried out in laboratories in San Diego.

The work consists of taking a species of bacterium Mycoplasma capricolum genome replacing them after the original encoded with a computer, which actually turned it into a variant of the same species, Mycoplasma mycoides, by assembling hundreds of thousands of bases adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine in a DNA sequence different from that which had given rise to the microorganism. The artificial DNA is similar to a natural DNA, including mutations acquired during the assembly process. Only a sort of "molecular watermark" helps to recognize that it is really artificial. There was thus obtained a synthetic cell capable of reproducing. The production of this new form of life has cost $ 40 million funded in part by the same American biologist, president of the J. Craig Venter Institute, cofounder of Synthetic Genomics, a company created to synthesize organisms capable of producing biofuels and alternative fuels with a low environmental impact

The debate that is on is crucial because the next step will be to get the "Mycoplasma laboratorium", a bacterium that is tailored to perform specific tasks and different from any organism in nature. Approaches so the era of synthetic biology, which allow you to create and build specialized metabolic machinery in the lab creatures that do not resemble any form of life existing in nature. And here we are discussing the potential applications of bioterrorism criminals to reconsider the very concept of a living being. In the field, down the Church mons.Forte - the term "creation" is used in the common, not theological. The theological meaning is anything but: the creation is what happens out of nowhere. And the man does not do this: always starts with something that is there. "

other scientists are on the field-"We must not be afraid. Artificial life can not exist. Craig Venter is one of only a major scientific proof but can not have any kind of future in the real world. " This is a laboratory organism will die in the wild, says the National Research Council Biotechnology, Roberto Defez.

President Obama has asked the Presidential Commission for the Study of bioethical issues to study the benefits of this discovery, but also the moral issues involved. The Commission's task will be to identify the risks and ethical boundaries, trying to be able to find a suitable way to minimize them.

I believe, my dear Alice, we are faced with the opening scenario on the second act of a great show which includes a reversal of roles between actors and spectators with special flaps and decisive.

The point is this possible communication between Science, Faith and Creation in patterns already known, but in this case, opening a deep question about life, human intelligence and an open future possibilities that man could contribute to an improvement in the breathing of the planet, and change lives for thousands of years as he wished.

we be able to discuss not only a yes or no general techno-scientific innovation, but to establish new practices, concepts and solutions within of new developments and proposes that the scientific world that all mankind has a right to know and claim? Some people said it was dangerous "play God", what I believe is that Alice is interesting to reflect on the fears of humanity moves forward, because more than imagine future scenarios of an Eden on earth, we accustomed to thinking in disasters and creations of monsters in the possible complications and manipulations of any scientific discovery. Alice Maybe what we're getting out of hand is just a reflection on man and the real possibility of directing his actions, including the Science in the evolutionary direction is the challenge ... launched.