The scientist finishes the first " L The artificial life " R Get into the risk dispute of ethics

The scientist finishes the first " L The artificial life " R Get into the risk dispute of ethics
On the 20th of this month, American scientist's declaration, they strode forward one step on the road of creating the artificial synthesis life, the first of the world " L The artificial life " ,Namely the unicellular bacterium totally controlled by the artificial gene was born. They name it as " L Artificial " . This experiment shows, the new life entity might not pass " L Evolve " R Come to finish, can be in the laboratory too " L Created " . News spreads out, cause the strong response of the various circles of society immediately. A lot of scientists make positive comments on this achievement, but does not lack the worried sound either.
This research is presided over by top scientist Clague and Venter of genetic science of heredity in U.S.A., study the group to own in common More than 20 scientists . Venter's group struggles for 15 years for this project, costs over 4000 ten thousand dollars. In 2008, he will take the lead in claiming to produce and formate bacterium's gene, but it fails to control cells. He said, this formated cells first, it was a first species that duplicated oneself on the earth at that time, its mother is a computer . Now, it leads us to cross over the border, enter one new world, this indicates the mankind explores the artificial life takes an important step.
It is reported, Venter's group chooses one kind calling the bacterium of the mycoplasma of silk at first, decode and duplicate, produce the artificial synthetic genome its genome. Then, move the artificial genome to plant into another kind of bacterium called goat's mycoplasma, through splitting and hyperplasia, the cells within the bacterium are controlled by artificial gene gradually, become a kind of brand-new life finally. In training wares, formate behaviors such as the division of the bacterium,etc. just like natural bacterium.
Though this kind of technology is still lab - full at present, researchers believe he uses and has a bright future, they have industry and medical value " L Artificial cells " . Venter thinks, this achievement is expected to solve a series of problems such as food shortage, energy crisis,etc. for the mankind in the future. Now, there are about 68 hundred million people in the whole world; In future 30 to 40 years, the global size of population may be up to 90 hundred million. At present, we cannot offer enough food, drinking water, medicine,etc. to 68 hundred million people. So, the mankind needs to find the new method through science, biotechnology is one of them, it can offer the new source for energy, food and medicines.
But," L The artificial life " Research too dispute of ethics a lot of ethical to be initiate. The scholar points out, this achievement has destroyed people's basic faith about life attribute, and to how think about mankind the faith and how it thinks about mankind in universe to be position very much important. Some scientists think, because there is a relevant supervision regulation of biosynthesis at present, the biological terrorist will probably make the fatal virus or biochemical weapon with this technology in the future, and the artificial bacterium in the laboratory will bring the risk to environment and the mankind and make people weighed down with anxieties even more.
US President's Palestinian horse worries to the ethics risk of this experiment too, have already ordered to evaluate the ethics risks of this research results. He says, needs to confirm the suitable ethics demarcation line of this kind of technology at present, endangers and controls it to lowest extent.
Venter admits, the technology that involves while studying, may be used for making new pathogenic bacterium in theory, even used for developing the biological weapons. But he say, want, consider carefully which study this announcement of the detail, and will adopt the particular measure among the experiments, the bacterium so as to ensure to produce newlying can only be in the laboratory " L The warm cultivation liquid " R China survives, will not become " L Devil's bacterium " . Act as these " L The life " R When being created out, they will be very fragile, it will be an enormous achievement in an hour that they will survive in the laboratory. If they will go out of the laboratory, even decide the world, this is absolutely impossible.
Harvard University practises the ethics professor lists Cruz to comment this achievement, have opened the gate of human history, spies upon its future in Venter's experiment achievement, create the life that has never existed in the nature. Though this kind may be as far back as the future, it is true, the meaning is great. Meanwhile, the risk that it should face will be unprecedented too. (Reporter Xu QiSheng )

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