"This would effectively lead to a new man-made species."

Anyone else creeped out by this? Man-made species? wow...

And on the 7th day, man rested.

I'm just worried that we'll accidentally create something that wipes us all out. And I don't think it would be that hard. Like if we created a bacteria to clean up some industrial waste, that ended up getting loose and destroying some substance over the whole earth that's fundamental to the food chain. I don't have any specific examples, and maybe I'm way off. Anyone with a little more backround in this area?

Remember, Only God can make something from nothing. These people are using what is already there to pervert it. We do not need a man made species.
Unless it can cure cancer!

First we cure cancer then we extinct ourselves! We don't need god to do that.

Wow, such hypocrisy. First saying "We do not need a man made species", then immediately saying "Unless it can cure cancer!". Make up your mind.

Philosophical debate aside: I fail to see how this is much different from all of the other gene splicing that has been going on over the past number of years? We have plants that have genes spliced in them from other species, we have bacteria producing human insulin, etc. Even viruses have been doing this for, well, as long as we can determine.

Those procedures seem much more like a "transplant" than what is going on here. I envision a transplant as taking part of one thing and putting it in another, for the purpose of helping or enhancing the target. This seems like a complete usurpation of the target cell. If anything, this seems conceptually a step backwards. Unless I'm missing something?

who created everything. God is for those people who want/need to believe in something because they cannot cope with not knowing the how why are we here. Or for those in the church who want money and power. But good job Craig Center for breaking into the unknown and not looking over your shoulder for the moral nuts. Maybe this kind of research will lead to xenografts, and ultimitely more organs for the donor list. 18 people die each day waiting for organs and the list is 92000 people long. I'm no bleeding heart but someday myself or someone important to me may need a transplant.

Since no God seem to exist, all arguments based on its existence are waste of time.

Jeanne, give me a break. This whole notion of "god" is in itself man made. There is no real god, only the notion of god that was mad up by humans 1000's of years ago. If there is, show me proof, you can't because there is no god. Every single story in the bible is nothing more than a history of certain people--history that was 98% NOT true I might add. But for some ODD reason certain types of humans feel the need that there is a power more than they are. Instead of trying to learn anything they say, "thats too hard to learn, god must have made it", or We can't explain this, so god must have had his hand in it"...bullcrap I say. The only reason humans made the idea of a god was to enslave other people. If you don't do what I and god say you will goto hell. So weak and poor people followed and here we are in the 21st century and we still have superstitious people wanting a god to believe in. Do you also beleive in the easter bunny, Santa Clause, whitches, warlocks and the supernatural? If so, you need help.

"The target cells eventually took on all the characteristics of the donor bacteria including protein and antibodies production"

Thats not right; Bacteria do not produce antibodies. The host infected with these bacteria will produce antibodies against these bacteria.

please be more careful when rephrasing or reporting scientific facts.

Hmmmm, I like the idea of the bacteria to clean up the environment, added to the getting out of control, and wiping out something important to humans - say like the disappearance of "bees" the pollinate our crops. Oh, wait, isn't this already happeneing? Makes you step back and think - already happened and we just don't know it yet?

An incredible breakthrough! the applications boggle the mind-energy, medicine, etc..

I'm surprised people still believe in that guy. Does this article mean that I can take cells from Brad Pitt and turn into him? Or maybe steal some of Einstein's cells, that would be sweet.

If your "god" didnt want us to do things like this "he" wouldnt have given us the ability to

it's how they do new illnesses.

they put bad thing into strong things making the bad thinks stronger... limited to bacteria, as described, it's only like cloning a bacteria... which is totally useless because bacteria clone themselves without any help... that's their reproduction.

what they need to do is pick only ONE property from a bacteria and switch it with another.

then, some bacteria could be used to refine alcohol into a more complex combustible, clean oil from waterplant with more efficiency or even to extract some goods from used plastic materials

Wow , I am so suprised at all of this fuss. Did'nt your mothers teach you about Jesus. I know most of you seem to not believe in Him. But, like me I'm sure he got a chuckle out of it. It was like putting my finger in a pile of ants. Anyway.... to my point. Jesus loves you and you will all find out one day. Because the Bible says that -every knee will bow and every tounge confess That Jesus Christ is Lord. I believe darwin made up eveloution so that he could live a lawless life without God and sin anyway that he wanted. It's just easier for him that way.

Hope you find Peace.

Last time I checked it took intelligence and design to perform such transplants. These guys have their PHDs and millions of dollars of funding and equipment. They have manipulated a system that already exists to produce a result... that alread exists.

Call me when they decide to demonstrate a new species created without all this outside help.
Sad thing is, while all this is true, schools are telling us we created ourselves by mere chance.

News flash: Without intelligence, you don't get intelligence. That's reality.

Wow, what great arguments by Allan and Jeanne. You two need to go to college in order to discern a method of not making arguments riddled with fallacies. People who haven't even taken a philosophy class should not discuss such matters. hahah "Without intelligence, you don't get intellligence. That's reality." hahah What are you basing that off of, and how are you comparing that to an evolution of a species.

By what authority can you tell that Jesus is the god and not some other entity (Allah, Satan, nobody etc.)? Do the christians posses the patent on wisdom? I don't think so...
You're so limited in your thinking that you can't even realize how limited you are. People are so much easier to control then. That's exactly what the christian church does and what it did in the past (and what it did to you). Giving people false hopes and thus making them obey some rules...

But to stay on topic... until they have means of programmatically engineer and synthesize chromosomes, they can't do anything.

I believe in Jesus because He first loved me. Have you read the bible? there is no other "god" on earth that is good and holy and that loves you. the others are imposters. As a child I decided to follow Jesus And I have had a peace in my heart since then. He touched my life. HE loves me and He gave His life for me. The bible is full of promises but if you read carefully there is something we must do. The Bible tells of curses caused by sin. No where does the Bible promise an easy life. But it is a life with peace.
YESTURDAY! I was at a family reunion and a 34 year old dropped dead after saying I cant breath. He had a hearttack. There were 4 nurses 2 Paramedics working on him and a military man working on him. Life is fragile and can end at any second. A peice of space junk could fall on you. to find out about God read the bible. Others have no peace. Jesus is the prince of peace and I hope you know about Him. please read the bible none of us know when our days will end. Start in the New Testament That is where Jesus is born. But the whole Bible is great. IT is of a different ancient culture but is timeless and true. I will believe in Jesus until death. "Jesus will say to some depart from me I never knew you." Life is short. know what you believe, and don't just believe what some college professors taught you about life because they have a personal agenda and their personal lives are so messed up many of them are more confused Just look at their faces .you can tell who has Jesus and has peace. Christians sin don't let that stop you. But we are forgiven by Jesus because we ask him to forgive us It takes the faith of a child. to recieve the free gift of eternal life Jesus has for us. I believe many are confused by the Professors they once studied under. Really it is a fight for our souls. I could carry on about this all day. Jesus must really love you alot because I am writing all of this for you. I don't usually do this but life is short.

Prayerfully, Jeanne

From my many years of religious and philosophy classes, I have come to the conclusion that yes, there is some type of eternal being. I believe that all the different religions are derived from the same place; people just put a different name on it. Look at Zen Buddhism and Christianity. They both preach the same message; it’s just the source of the message that’s different. To say that there is not a god is just ridiculous. "Prove that god exists", that’s such a ridiculous statement. Believing that there is a creator of some sort is an act of faith, just as believing that there is not a creator.

As for the article...I think that is pretty amazing, and makes me think of possibly putting plant chromosomes onto an animal of some sort...Limitless source of nutrition? That would be pretty neat...

First, It is my understanding that some bacteria readily share their genetic material, hence, their ability to develop resistance to anti-biotics.

Secondly, I see the idea of developing a new species on an microbiological level somewhat plausible. Beyond this though, doubtful, very, very doubtful.

First of all, who are you to say a god does not exist? Do you know 100% that there isn't one? Have you transcended reality and come back to tell us this? No. You know no more that there is, for sure, no god than a die hard Catholic knows for sure that there is one.

I'm not a religious person. I don't go to church. But I believe there is something out there. Not that created man. But that something somewhere made something happen that spawned the creation of the universe. It all had to start somewhere. And even many renowned scientists have agreed that there is inconsistencies in the universe that could only be explained by the presence of a supreme being.

Now that also leads to what constitutes a god. A being that is on a higher plane of existence could qualify as a god. One that has control over the universe. Can manipulate time and space. Create things with just the power of thought. Is that hard to believe. Mankind has only begun to tap its potential. Large portions of our brains go unused. So whos to say what would happen if they were.

None of us know more than the other for certain that there is or isn't a god. And believing in one is not a sign that you need something to believe in because you can't handle things. Until you die you won't know. If theres an afterlife that many of the religions talk about, then there is one. If theres not, then there isn't. But you're not going to be able to tell anyone then so whats it matter.

All religions out there (save Scientology since those guys are just idiots with money) have one purpose. To help you understand how to live life as a good person. Unfortunately, people have taken it a little too seriously. As I said I'm not religious. But I don't hate religion. Believe what you want, just don't try to push it on me.

Its ok for you to be Christian. But its not even funny how close minded you are.

I personally believe that if Jesus were here today, that he'd be beating you with a stick for taking his message and twisting it into a mantra that you preach to others to try and force them by wearing them down to believe as you do. I sincerely hope that if there is a heaven and a hell, that people like you at best get purgatory.

Jesus existed. There's no doubt about that. There's historical records of it (I'm not talking about the bible). But he wasn't the son of god. Just a guy with great ideas on how to live life as a good person.

And I'd just like to add, in the US, our country was founded by Christians. Phrases like "In God We Trust" and "One nation, under god" are part of who we are as a country. They are in no way a forcing of religion on anyone. So for those who think they need to come off our money or out of our pledge of allegiance, f*ck you. You have no right to change that. Our country isn't here to cater to the wills of the minority who are offended by such things. In the bill of rights it doesn't say you have the right not to be offended. Or the right to get everything you want. If you don't like whats on our money and in our pledge, there's plenty of other countries on this planet. Go to one of them.

The concept of species in bacteria is at best vague. Many have up to 20% of their genomes from other "species" within their genus. While interesting its really more flash than substance and despite Dr. Latigue's feelings we are not near the creation of artificial chromosomes and addition of a single chromosome does not a new species make (she should know better than that, I hope she was quoted out of context). I don't feel this line of research will be any better than targeted insertion or homologous recombination technologies for disease treatments.

As Jesus said don't cast what is Holy before swine.
I will no longer argue over this It does not seem to be the intended purpose of this comment section.
Some of you have made knowledge your god The ones here who are unkind to me it is because of Jesus whom you reject. And by the way I have been to college.
Try reading this if you can get through it. It is Jesus' own words
Matthew 7
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
and why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give * him a stone? ... (had to edit my comment is too long)
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat *:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Jeanne

Jeanne,
Darwin was a Christian.

David,
"Have you transcended reality and come back to tell us this?"

I am sorry, I am not allowed to talk about that. :)

Re: The transplant.

Viruses transplant DNA from organism to organism all the time. The difference here seems to be that all or almost all of the recipient DNA was replaced by the donor.

Dear article,
I am sorry all these people turned this article into a religious bible fight.
Signed -Bouchard

Re: Drifter
As one of the few scientific replies here, I am disappointed. You are completely wrong bacteria are manipulated for the specific purpose of producing antibodies, insulin and other helpful things. See: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/si...s=15580495
And
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16892246

Re: Religious fanatics, and Atheists
Please for the love of (insert your God or idol here/lack there of) refrain from posting your beliefs in a comment to an article. It makes you look dumb, and starts religious fights.

listen.... I believe I'n god and I don't believe anyone can say whether or not he wants us to do this... does god want us to kill each other? Not at all, but we still can. we don't have any way of telling. the bible doesn't say anything against it. it says we are masters of the animals and earth.

Which of the one-hundred some-odd variations on the word "god" should I believe in?

Why would I believe in the ONE that showed up after all of the others?

You speak of people dieing from random space junk. That isn't god, that is physics, timing, and MAN. You speak of personal agendas, do you realize that your "religion" has probably the biggest agendas of any organization in recorded human history? Control.

I hate people that try to force their own religions, fears, and agendas on those that can see other points of views, other ideas, and other possibilities. People that are locked into a group religion and then go out trying to convert the world to save it from itself are the people that have no religion and have only a need to mold the world to their own personal ideals.

Religion is, and should be, for your own personal beliefs, not for what you think everyone else around you should be doing.

I have no problem with someone having their own religion, fine, whatever, but don't force it on those that have a different perspective.

And as a final comment;

"To find out about god read the bible"

To find out about your god read the bible that is written by the hands of HUMANS hundreds of years after the fact and is a continuous story of personal morality and ideals. Don't forget that in the bible it was OK to have multiple wives, kill, and generally do things that we today consider "sins".

Yours,
proud atheist/buddhist.

Believe what want, it matters not. I'm atheist because I see people's natural state, and I don't blame them for being what they were created as. I'm ok with not mattering, and I don't believe in Hell, therefore you cannot install your fears of it in me. I found too many questionable things in religion, it has nothing to do with how religious people live their lives. I was raised in a "more holier than your family" family, we weren't allowed to even say "shut up." Until ANYONE steps back and looks at the nature of mankind and of the world in which he lives he will be blind. When someone brings back proof that we can transcend death I will consider believing in it, until then I cannot put my faith in old legends, written or unwritten. I believe I expire the same way I was brought into the world. I have no knowledge of anything prior to being born, and I doubt I will have any knowledge post death. I yam what I yam, and when I'm done I yam no more. It's like fame, Jesus won't be remembered 30,000 years from now, and neither will Paris Hilton. You don't matter to anyone but people here today and not that much. People on earth won't be here for eternity because that is the nature of the universe in which we live.

Quit fighting what is natural, love yourself as you are and quit referring to the things you do as sins, you were meant to do them, you were born a human being. It is nature to lust, to fear, etc. Religion is just spawned out of the complexity and emotions that are human. Superstition and wonderment will be around until the end of Earth-man, as is our nature to inquire and seek out answers. It is this element that over time will net us more answers, but we will never find purpose for our lives on this earth unless we can learn to make ourselves have purpose. A preacher's purpose is apparently to annoy those with a more scientific mind, and a scientist's purpose is to create Frankensteins and natural disasters. I urge you to delve yourselves into a purpose of educating those around you about love, about how to educate others with information that is useful to the benefit of mankind here now, and in the future, and to live your lives responsibly as if your duty is to those of tomorrow. Find solutions to problems being careful not to create more, bring the quality of our PLANET back up to where it should be for future generations, and with that give them the knowledge of our mistakes.

~Ryan

I was about to go on a big rant, but you covered it pretty well.

You people that call people crazy for believing in god are ignorant. To say that you are 100% sure that god doesn't exist is just as, if not more insane than saying that you are 100% sure that god does exist.

I don't know and neither does anyone else.

Why on earth did this devolve into a creativolution-religiocience philosophifilicatitudinous a$$pile? Let's talk about how freakin' awesome this is instead, and how soon the governments of the world will start abusing it!

I bet North Korea would looooove this.

As you can see, God CLEARLY did not do the experiment!!

lol....stupid religious zealots..

God Schmod, I want my monkeyman!

"... There is no real god, only the notion of god that was mad up by humans 1000's of years ago. If there is, show me proof, you can't because there is no god. ..."

First, which 'god' are u talking about? Different people has different concept on god. People even think they themselves are gods!

Second, Can the existence of the 'god' be proven by man? Before you can ask "prove it to me."

Let's not waste time on this issue.

Who wrote the bible? humans. Who says the bible is the truth? the people, who are part of an organization, that wrote it.
Jeanne, prove to me that the bible is the truth without quoting another part of the bible!
believe in God, Jesus or whatever you want but there is nothing to say that you are right and muslims aren't. (I am atheist).

hell of of breakthrough though, should see some pretty cool medical breakthroughs over the next few years.

First, if you are Ok with the idea that Two atoms in the middle of the universe crahsed into each other and ACCIDENTALLY created the whole universe and ACCIDENTLY created the exact conditions needed for our planet to support life, to evolve from 1 cell organisims into the extremely diverse lifeforms that romp around our planet, Who by some ACCIDENT some of them ACCIDENTLY became sentient and developed tools and made bridges, roads, supercomputers...... ACCIDENTALLY???? Take all the parts needed to make a robot and put them in a box and shake it till you get a fully assembled robot. Thats what you have left if you deny God.

For those that say "If your god dosen't like it why does he allow these things?" --- Free will. We are all allowed to choose to love him freely, and deny him freely. We can choose to serve him or ourselves freely.

BTW in the theory of evolution those single celled organisims.... What did they eat to sustain life? Bacteria? protiens? aren't those more complicated and further along the evolutionary chain than a simple 1 cell organisim?

The Bible, Who wrote it? Man as inspired by God. Written over several thousand years, by many different authors, from different periods in time, from different continents. With thousands of origonal documents stored securely in many different locations around the world. Of those documents that make up the Bible they agree or have uncanny continuity with the message that is delivered to us.

So we have a choice, Deny God and embrace that all of this is some kind of cosmic accident that has yet to be proven to be true. Which leads us into a right and wrong that is 100% personal to us and not applicable anyone else

OR

Embrace the existance of God, the promise of enternal life for EVERYONE who will love and obey him. Who also promises that those who choose to deny him will share the same fate as the evil one the source of all our pain.

I have read that war is the impossibility of reason, but I guess that goes for blind faith as well.

Dave, you've made failed attempts discount any form of evolution is fantastic accidents or MIRACLES. You counter by arguing one "miracle" vs. another.

Humans, plants, animals, and the universe couldn't have "accidentally" come into existence, no...a lone, all-powerful, all-knowning, omni-present being with no beginning and no end came into existence (that no beginning thing is a real snag) and created everything...from nothing. That sounds MUCH more plausible. WE need a creator, there MUST be a creator, yet our creator who is SO much greater than us created...itself?

What really gets me is the unflinching attitude amongst religious types regarding a "god". If a god exists, he MUST be a Christian God! And EVERYTHING goes EXACTLY the way it goes in the Bible! If there is a god, he MUST be an Islamic Allah, and EVERYTHING goes EXACTLY the way it goes in the Quaran. No compromise, whatsoever.

Why couldn't our creator be a mid-level "god"? Maybe the SUPREME BEING created him (and others), then they created others, and so on and so fourth. Maybe we have a "hands-on" god, and his name is Gary?

And what's with all the personification of "God", anyway? LOVE, WORSHIP...If IT exists, IT
is NOT HUMAN. Do you really think the most powerful force in existence cares if you (claim to) worship him and follow his orders? (OH, GOD LOVES ME! LOL) You're a flea! Not even a flea. "God" is not your daddy.

If you get angry when someone questions the existence of "God" (or a god) or Jesus, you're admitting your lack of faith. Or you are INCREDIBLY ignorant. "God" and J.C. wouldn't need you to fight their battles. Their is no battle (IF God exists).

Removing religion from the idea of a god, I don't think a person is crazy for believing in some supreme being. I just think they hit the brakes at that concept and didn't think it through. The chances of a god being as described by any of Earth's religions is infinitesimal. To believe a god made Earth and "the heavens" is so egotistical it's not even funny. The sun revolves around the Earth and all that. I guess he had no previous or follow-up projects...

Sure, our bodies are like machines with failsafes and our brains are like computers. Does that mean that someone made us or does it seem that way because we make these machines "in our own image"? Is any form of evolution really that incredible or "far-fetched"?

There cannot be existence and life without rules. Rules come first, there can be no existence without a foundation. Therefore, how could a Supreme Being just...exist? Did it make the rules up for itself? For it's own existence?

IMO, "God" is existence. It's the neighbor's dog, the goal post at Giants stadium, and the computer I'm typing on. It's the Bible, a porno DVD, and the two particles that may or may not have collided in "The Big Bang". It is everything that exists and the system that brought those things into existence. It is not something to fear or worship, it is simply what IS.


A side note:

You put in 60-80 years (130 tops) of "hell" on Earth, then if (and ONLY if) you're a good Christian, you get to go to Heaven (i.e. beyond the greatest place imaginable) for ETERNITY. You friends & family will join you soon, as 100 is a drop in the bucket. Strangely, Christians still fear death, and are just a corrupt as anyone else.

Check out their definitions, that should say it all....

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faith
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/superstition