Patent sought on ‘synthetic life’
‘Scientists working to build a life form from scratch have applied to patent the broad method they plan to use to create their “synthetic organism”.
Dr Craig Venter, the man who led the private sector effort to sequence the human genome, has been working for years to create a man-made organism.
But constructing a primitive microbe from a kit of genes is a daunting task.
Dr Venter says, eventually, these life forms could be designed to make biofuels and absorb greenhouse gases.
The publication of the patent application has angered some environmentalists.’
