Word: venter
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...Designer Genome Despite his intelligence and biotechnological success, J. Craig Venter might just be venturing into something beyond his control [Feb. 4]. His creation of a genome might not result simply in whimsical and interesting "zoos of man-made creatures" or "custom-designed pets." His grand biology experiment might alter the biosphere. It is extreme hubris to think that we can invent a new life-form and unleash it into the environment. Perhaps the question for scientists is not simply can we, but should we? Mark Alton, Petaluma, California...
...heck with creating new life-forms. Venter should channel his energies into constructing a chromosome for extant humans that would help us store critical life-enhancing information - like anniversaries, passwords, account balances and payment-due dates. That would truly benefit mankind. John Herman, Dix Hills, New York...
...Collins, Venter's once and perhaps future rival, whose group at the NIH is also working on creating synthetic genes, echoes that doubt. "Suppose I have a pile of dirt in my backyard and I want to move it," he says. "I could spend months building the components, but I already have a lawn tractor, so what I need to do is add a front loader. Why not take the shortest path...
...Venter agrees that this all makes sense - but only if you accept a limited view of the science. He is not alone. "We are starting to turn the corner," says Jay Keasling, a bioengineer at the University of California, Berkeley. "The technologies are starting to be put in place, and it's crazy to keep doing biology the way we are doing...
...Still, after spending his career trying to digitize, quantify and standardize biology, even Venter recognizes that there may be some aspects of life that simply can't be understood without a nod to what he calls the "mystery and majesty" of the cell. Well before he became involved constructing artificial life, he christened his sailboat with a name that may reveal as much about that awareness as about what he is trying to accomplish: he called it Sorcerer...