science - arent you sometimes in auw

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-- science - arent you sometimes in auw

Posted by Izzy on Nov-21-2002 23:14:

science - arent you sometimes in auw

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...c/new_life_form

quote:

has received a $3 million Department of Energy (news - web sites) grant to make a new type of bacterium using DNA manufactured in the lab from basic chemicals.

The goal, said Venter, is to build a bacterium that is capable of making hydrogen that could be used for fuel, or to develop a microbe that could absorb and store carbon dioxide, thus removing a surplus of that greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.

who ever said the US isnt investing in the future and doesnt care about environmental issues? man i just wish more money would be pumped into these kinds of research

Posted by Fir3start3r on Nov-23-2002 23:34:

Wow...that would be cool...

Problem is, mother nature has a way of balancing things out.

So even if they were successful, I'd would be wonderin' about the side effects...

Posted by PeacefulWarrior on Nov-24-2002 01:59:

It's amazing to think about how far our understanding of the world has evolved through science. Little by little we are begining to understand phenomena that that were once mystical and unknown.

The technology to genetically modify and create new organisms has already been develped, so Venter hasn't really come up with anything new--as the article preassumes. There are hundreds of different modified bacterial strains, each with different phenotipic attributes. Most of these strains are used in research (i.e. grow lots of bacteria of a certain strain and tinker around with their cellular machinery). The neat thing about these modified strains is that they have safeguards (also created by genetic modification) that prevent them from incorporating into the natural environment and causing us harm.