Biologists Develop First Stable Semi-synthetic Single Celled Organi...

In a rare scientific breakthrough, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in California, have developed the first ever stable semi-synthetic organism by aligning the DNA of natural, and man-made bases.

While applications for this kind of organism are still far in the future, the researchers say the work could be used to create new functions for single-celled organisms that play important roles in drug discovery and much more.

The E. coli bacteria which the researchers worked on to create the synthetic organism
[Photo Source]

Life's genetic code has only ever contained four natural bases. These bases pair up to form two base pairs, the rungs of the DNA ladder which we are all familiar with, which have been simply rearranged in different ways to create all life as we know it, from bacteria to humans.

But the unique part in creating this organism was that, besides these four natural bases (called A, T, C and G), which every living organism possesses, the researchers also mixed it with a pair of lab made synthetic bases, called X and Y, in its genetic code to produce the synthetic single celled organism for the first time.

This is huge because now mankind gets to play god!

Creating life had been elusive till now, but this research shows which way the scientific community is heading, especially when you hear Floyd Romesberg, a professor involved in the research at TSRI say,

We've made this semi-synthetic organism more life-like

Here, I am stumped for words and can only say, WOW!

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Biologists Develop First Stable Semi-synthetic Single Celled Organism Using Lab Made DNA!