Category: Uncategorized

REAR VIEW MIRROR. "The field of molecular evolution is concerned with evolutionary changes in genes and genomes and the underlying driving forces behind those changes. Current studies in molecular evolution are almost entirely retrospective, with a focus on the mutations that were fixed during evolution, and the conclusions are often explanatory, offering no predictive insights." https://lnkd.in/dq6c-q7 View in LinkedIn

LIFE AS I.T. "We defined the terms “synthetic life” and “synthetic cells” in a reasonably specific way, as cells completely controlled only by a synthetic DNA chromosome. The synthetic genome was the software of life, which specified every protein robot in the cell, and therefore every one of the cell’s functions. From the public response to our announcement and scientific publication, however, it was clear that some found it hard to accept the concept of life as an information system." https://lnkd.in/eyZU783 View in LinkedIn

SYNTHETIC DNA ROBOTS ARE ALIVE, as alive as viruses. It is Victorian to exclude viruses from the definition of life. We have crossed the border and have created living machines. DNA is arguably the unit of life and contains all the intelligent coding needed for life. In nature, DNA evolves, creating diversity of fitness for the environment, and the Bell Curve of evolution selects the fittest to become dominant. In the case of DNA robots, Man would be the rational force of evolution. View in LinkedIn

NO CHANGES. "The commission did not recommend any changes to policy or oversight and called for continued funding of the research and new funding for monitoring, study of emerging ethical issues, and public education." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_biology View in LinkedIn

LIFE WAS NOT CREATED (FROM SCRATCH). "The report clarified that the Venter group had not created life, and noted that synthetic biology is an emerging field, which creates potential risks and rewards." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_biology View in LinkedIn

THE REPORT. "The commission convened a series of meetings, then issued a report in December 2010 titled "New Directions: The Ethics of Synthetic Biology and Emerging Technologies." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_biology View in LinkedIn

"NEW GENES provide important genetic novelties responsible for biological diversity in organisms, and are often the genetic basis for lineage- or species-specific components in important biological processes and structures." https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13059-015-0772-4 View in LinkedIn

NEW THINKING. "There is emerging recognition that many biological processes involve important non-conserved elements, and that de novo gene birth provides an important mechanism for functional evolution." https://lnkd.in/dFMjBuF View in LinkedIn

DIFFERENTIAL EMERGENCE. "The emerging picture across different species is that de novo genes emerge at high rates." http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168952515000347 View in LinkedIn

"CONSERVATION of gene and protein sequence, and, therefore, conservation of the resulting molecular interactions that mediate biological processes, is foundational to our understanding of biology. This conservation allows discovery in one organism, such as worms or mice, to inform our understanding of the biology in another organism, such as humans." https://lnkd.in/dFMjBuF View in LinkedIn