Life...

Is artificial life just a far-off dream? A thing of science fiction? A possibility that is wholly synthetic? It would seem that this might not be the case. John Craig Venter (an American biologist and DNA researcher) and his team have created the first artificial chromosome! Or to be exact, it’s mostly artificial. It was made from a bacterium, Mycoplasma genitalium, by removing a fifth of its genes.

One cannot help but wonder at the implications. Is this the potential for a ‘miracle cure’ to humanity’s problems? Perhaps this is the first step in actively selecting characteristics for our children. Or maybe it is the beginning of the answer to alternative energy sources. Or perhaps an answer to removing the excess carbon dioxide from the air, or maybe repairing the ozone layer (though considering the toxic nature of ozone, the latter is unlikely). Or maybe things like the ‘X-Men’ are not as far off as one would think (I’m pretty sure many wouldn’t mind that).

One thing is for certain, at this stage, one can only speculate, and as far as most people know, the possibilities are infinite. However, as far as modifying the human genome is concerned, it is likely that such a thing is very far off. The human genome is rather ‘fragile’. Having an extra chromosome, or even an extra part of a chromosome very often results in the foetus being aborted. Hence any changes to the human genome, unless small and at specific sites could easily disrupt the fragile balance known as life (something which is more fragile than one would think, after the human psyche, but nevermind that) and hence would yield nothing at all. As with most things, the creation of artificial chromosomes is bound to raise a number of ethical issues (actually, it very likely has already). Some would say, who are we to dictate how a life-form should be? Who are we to ‘play God’? (a term which has become commonplace during the past decade or so). Others would argue that since we can, then we should, provided it causes more good than harm. Who knows what will happen? Maybe this is the answer to creating new species, should we want to. One thing is for sure, having a tool is all very well, but how you use it is something else entirely. Let us hope that we humans have learnt from our mistakes, and do not seek to create new ones.

Nigel Borg