Scientists have created artificial DNA life forms

After 15 years of work, scientists have successfully created a living cell that contains at least two components of unnatural DNA. Scientific breakthrough makes scientists one step closer to the possibility of synthesizing cells can produce drugs. And besides, this discovery opens the door to a future in which we can create living organisms that have never met on Earth.



"Before us is actually a living cell that literally contains a large set of genetic information," explains Floyd Romesberg, head of the research team, the last 15 years involved in the creation of new life forms.
"It is not superfluous to note that we were able to achieve a harmonious coexistence of life and synthetic genetic material, which is a very challenging task. Yes, we have created a synthetic DNA before, but this is essentially a new kind of cybernetic DNA and it has much greater potential."
The journal Nature that provided this information, in turn, believes that scientists in a sense created the "alien". All life on Earth contains four types of nitrogenous bases of DNA components called nucleotides: guanine (G), adenine (A), thymine (T) and cytosine ©. With the opening of scientists, science has an opportunity to add to this set at least two new artificial nucleotide.

The researchers say that now the old model of the four DNA nucleotides is not the only way to create life. Some experts believe that after this discovery, scientists can even create a living organism with a set of exclusively unfamiliar nucleotides. According to Steven Benner, a pioneer in the field of similar studies conducted in 1980-ies of the last century, new nucleotides are quite similar to four natural.

In an interview with the journal Nature Benner said:

"I think there is no limit. If you go back and go over the whole evolutionary process over the last 4 billion years, then most likely you will get a different genetic system."
Discovery scientists, both frightening and gives hope. In the end, such studies can help us to discover drugs to treat diseases such as cancer. If we, of course, on the way to this will not create a new form of this cancer.

Source: brainswork.ru