The first synthetic genome, a stripped down version of a natural organism, is only the beginning. I now want to go further. My company Synthetic Genomics Inc., is already trying to develop cassettes-modules of genes-to turn an organism into a biofactory that could make clean hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water or soak up more carbon dioxide. From there I want to take us far from shore into unknown waters, to a new phase of evolution, to the day when one DNA-based species can sit down at a computer to design another. I plan to show that we understand the software of life by creating true artificial life. And in this way I want to discover whether a life decoded is truly a life understood [1].
— A Life Decoded By J. Craig Venter
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References
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Anand, S., Malhotra, J., Dua, A. et al. A new life in a bacterium through synthetic genome: a successful venture by craig venter. Indian J Microbiol 50, 125–131 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12088-010-0036-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12088-010-0036-7