I am Creating Artificial Life

[suchandra]

This was to be expected - scientists are getting more and more presuming, where're the Vaishnava scientists to expose such tricksters?

 

I am creating artificial life, declares US gene pioneer

 

· Scientist has made synthetic chromosome

· Breakthrough could combat global warming

• Ed Pilkington in New York
  
• The Guardian
  
• Saturday October 6 2007

Craig Venter, the controversial DNA researcher involved in the race to decipher the human genetic code, has built a synthetic chromosome out of laboratory chemicals and is poised to announce the creation of the first new artificial life form on Earth.

The announcement, which is expected within weeks and could come as early as Monday at the annual meeting of his scientific institute in San Diego, California, will herald a giant leap forward in the development of designer genomes. It is certain to provoke heated debate about the ethics of creating new species and could unlock the door to new energy sources and techniques to combat global warming.

Mr Venter told the Guardian he thought this landmark would be "a very important philosophical step in the history of our species. We are going from reading our genetic code to the ability to write it. That gives us the hypothetical ability to do things never contemplated before".

The Guardian can reveal that a team of 20 top scientists assembled by Mr Venter, led by the Nobel laureate Hamilton Smith, has already constructed a synthetic chromosome, a feat of virtuoso bio-engineering never previously achieved. Using lab-made chemicals, they have painstakingly stitched together a chromosome that is 381 genes long and contains 580,000 base pairs of genetic code.

The DNA sequence is based on the bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium which the team pared down to the bare essentials needed to support life, removing a fifth of its genetic make-up. The wholly synthetically reconstructed chromosome, which the team have christened Mycoplasma laboratorium, has been watermarked with inks for easy recognition.

It is then transplanted into a living bacterial cell and in the final stage of the process it is expected to take control of the cell and in effect become a new life form. The team of scientists has already successfully transplanted the genome of one type of bacterium into the cell of another, effectively changing the cell's species. Mr Venter said he was "100% confident" the same technique would work for the artificially created chromosome.

The new life form will depend for its ability to replicate itself and metabolise on the molecular machinery of the cell into which it has been injected, and in that sense it will not be a wholly synthetic life form. However, its DNA will be artificial, and it is the DNA that controls the cell and is credited with being the building block of life.

Mr Venter said he had carried out an ethical review before completing the experiment. "We feel that this is good science," he said. He has further heightened the controversy surrounding his potential breakthrough by applying for a patent for the synthetic bacterium.

Pat Mooney, director of a Canadian bioethics organisation, ETC group, said the move was an enormous challenge to society to debate the risks involved. "Governments, and society in general, is way behind the ball. This is a wake-up call - what does it mean to create new life forms in a test-tube?"

He said Mr Venter was creating a "chassis on which you could build almost anything. It could be a contribution to humanity such as new drugs or a huge threat to humanity such as bio-weapons".

Mr Venter believes designer genomes have enormous positive potential if properly regulated. In the long-term, he hopes they could lead to alternative energy sources previously unthinkable. Bacteria could be created, he speculates, that could help mop up excessive carbon dioxide, thus contributing to the solution to global warming, or produce fuels such as butane or propane made entirely from sugar.

"We are not afraid to take on things that are important just because they stimulate thinking," he said. "We are dealing in big ideas. We are trying to create a new value system for life. When dealing at this scale, you can't expect everybody to be happy."

[theist]

That's alright. Krsna will give them the intelligence to stay in the artifical world for as long as they want playing God. Devotees are only interested in the world of reality where there is REAL LIFE.

 

When this educated fool can claim to have created real life we will be impressed but none of us is holding our breath. And since Krsna has already done so in ulimited fashion we will busy ourselves being impressed by Him instead.

 

 

 

"It's Alive! It's Alive!"

[suchandra]

 

That's alright. Krsna will give them the intelligence to stay in the artifical world for as long as they want playing God. Devotees are only interested in the world of reality where there is REAL LIFE.

 

When this educated fool can claim to have created real life we will be impressed but none of us is holding our breath. And since Krsna has already done so in ulimited fashion we will busy ourselves being impressed by Him instead.

 

 

 

"It's Alive! It's Alive!"

Yes, lets go on serving prasadam to the blasphemers and give them the mercy.

 

 

Devotees serve spiritual food to detained blasphemer

Thingbaijam Dhamen

http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=headline&newsid=39548&typeid=1

IMPHAL, Oct 6: A 60-year old man who is in police custody for allegedly chanting "Hare Krishna, Hare Rama, Shan-na-mahoure" (beef is the best) repeatedly in front of devotees of Krishna was served prasadi (spiritualised food) Saturday by a devotee in police custody even as he was accused of blaspheming Lord Krishna.

Last Thursday (October 4) devotees from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) who were running a mobile shop selling books and other items faced an old man blaspheming Lord Krishna by announcing in front of them "Hare Krishna, Hare Rama, Shan-na-mahoure" five times. This drew the devotees` ire and a heated arguement resulted between the old man and the devotees.

Following the argument two persons who came with the old man assaulted one of the devotees named Braja Bhakta Das, 28 years, spiritual son of Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami of ISKCON, Manipur. The incident occurred at around 3.50 pm at Rup Mahal Tank in the heart of Imphal city. Though the devotee was not physically injured his clothing was torn in the assault.

The Imphal city police registered a case under section 295-A on a complaint lodged by the victim, Braja Bhakta Das and arrested 60-year old Kangjam Joykumar of Noaremthong Loukrakpam Leikai. However, two of his associates hailing from Wangkhei who were involved in the assault are still at large.

Police picked up Joykumar on Friday and got him remanded to police custody till Monday (four days) under Section 295-A of the IPC after producing him before a local court.

Section 295-A of the IPC deals with deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious belief. Under this section, an offence can be punished with imprisonment of three years or fine of Rs. 1000 or both.

295-A of IPC states that whoever, with deliberate or malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class (citizen of India) by words, either spoken or written or by signs or visible representation or otherwise, insults or attempts to insult the religion or the religious beliefs of that class, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years or with fine or with both.

"We have taken remand of the man from the court yesterday and are investigating the case further for appropriate action against the accused. Two of his associates are yet to be rounded up," a police officer in the city police said.

Interestingly, the accused who is in police custody was served food (`prasadam` according to devotees) today by a devotee of ISKCON named Ajit Das at the police station. The family of the accused person has not, however, turned up or supplied food from home till date to the accused, a source at the police station said.

According to Ajit Das they had served prasadam to the accused as he had committed the wrong unknowingly. "Man does not know what is right or wrong while committing a crime. He comes to realise only after performing the act. My religion teaches this," he said.

"We are trying to settle the thing peacefully and we don`t want anyone punished. Instead we want to make them understand that there is no difference between all religions. All are same," he went on observe.

He also believed that the other two persons who are at large will surrender to them and "we will draw them on the right path".

On the other hand, police said they were making the best efforts to award appropriate punishment to the offender according to the law of the land. The city police said they took the matter seriously as it hurt the sentiments of the particular religion.

[theist]

Yeah that's the spirit. We all are , or have, been various types of blasphemers. Causeless mercy means just that. Mercy without discrimination as to who is fit canidate or not. Devotees gave me prasadam also and I was a meat eater at the time.

 

Also maybe we see the effects of some namabhasa. I mean he did chant Hare Krsna before the nonsense.