Patent Docs: Not Quite Artificial Life, But We're Getting Closer: Reactions to Venter's Synthetic Cell

Patent Docs: Not Quite Artificial Life, But We're Getting Closer: Reactions to Venter's Synthetic Cell: "Recently, we reported that a research team led by Dr. Craig Venter had developed a 'synthetic cell' controlled by purely synthetic DNA . To evaluate the significance of the discovery, the journal Nature asked eight synthetic-biology experts about the implications for science and society of the 'synthetic cell' made by the Dr. Venter's research team ('Life after the synthetic cell'). Generally, most commentators downplayed the gravity of Dr. Venter's discovery, most finding the synthetic cell as falling short of 'artificial life.'� The following is a summary of each expert's commentary, to illustrate the variety of reactions to Dr. Venter's synthetic cell:"