Any thoughts on scientists now creating life?

[Joshua-777]

Help .... one day they might actually create a scientist

Yeah and stuff, I think this whole area is creepy, I do not believe creating a virus is creating life, It's only creating biological warfair, It's kind of like when they figured out how to split an adom, it became a destructive force, they're doing the same thing, Think of all the chemical warfare, and biological warfair that is going to be more advanced, Scary!

[cjrose]

A virus is not life.

A virus is not strictly alive.. nor is it strictly dead... A virus has some fundamental information (genes made of DNA or RNA) which allows it to make copies of itself. However, the virus must be inside a living cell of some kind before the information can be used. In fact, the information won't be made available unless the virus enters a living cell. It is this entrance of a virus into a cell which is called a viral infection. Too, the virus is very, very small relative to the size of a living cell. Therefore, the information the virus can carry is actually not enough to allow it to make copies (replicate). The virus uses the cell's machinery and some of the cell's enzymes to generate virus parts which are later assembled into thousands of new, mature, infectious virus which can leave the cell to infect other cells. Poliomyelitis virus for example, may have over one million copies of its basic genetic information (RNA) inside a single, infected human intestinal mucosal cell.

http://people.ku.edu/~jbrown/virus.html

I agree with josh, it's just weird.

[systemstrike_7]

I bet the Japanese are trying to make real life Pokemon.

I'm not gonna lie.....

I would definitly get one....

[cjrose]

Thanks for the info CJ.

Scientists have a long way to go before they create life. Frankly I don't see the point in "creating" life. It's already here. Mitosis = creating cell life. Fertilization = creating organismal life. Here's a better idea: end AIDS, end cancer, end disease in general--in the life that already exists!

You're welcome runners

Why can't scientists come up with a cure for a virus as they have with a bacterial infection? Nasty virus's and how ironic the common cold is usually a virus so common to mankind.

This leads me to thinking about viral warfare. Anyone watch 24 last season? Could happen.

[SaturnV]

Thanks for the info CJ.

Scientists have a long way to go before they create life. Frankly I don't see the point in "creating" life. It's already here. Mitosis = creating cell life. Fertilization = creating organismal life. Here's a better idea: end AIDS, end cancer, end disease in general--in the life that already exists!

You're welcome runners

Why can't scientists come up with a cure for a virus as they have with a bacterial infection? Nasty virus's and how ironic the common cold is usually a virus so common to mankind.

This leads me to thinking about viral warfare. Anyone watch 24 last season? Could happen.

The simple answer is that bacteria are alive and can be killed. Viruses aren't, and it's rather hard to "kill" something that isn't alive in the first place. Since antibiotics are made to kill living cells, they don't work against viral infections.

I haven't watched too much of 24, but if you're talking about killers viruses as biological warfare agents-it's definitely the stuff of nightmares.

Edited January 23, 2007 by SaturnV

[cjrose]

Thanks for the info CJ.

Scientists have a long way to go before they create life. Frankly I don't see the point in "creating" life. It's already here. Mitosis = creating cell life. Fertilization = creating organismal life. Here's a better idea: end AIDS, end cancer, end disease in general--in the life that already exists!

You're welcome runners

Why can't scientists come up with a cure for a virus as they have with a bacterial infection? Nasty virus's and how ironic the common cold is usually a virus so common to mankind.

This leads me to thinking about viral warfare. Anyone watch 24 last season? Could happen.

The simple answer is that bacteria are alive and can be killed. Viruses aren't, and it's rather hard to "kill" something that isn't alive in the first place. Since antibiotics are made to kill living cells, they don't work against viral infections.

I haven't watched too much of 24, but if you're talking about killers viruses as biological warfare agents-it's definitely the stuff of nightmares.

That makes sense! Thank you

[GeneV]

Thanks for the info CJ.

Scientists have a long way to go before they create life. Frankly I don't see the point in "creating" life. It's already here. Mitosis = creating cell life. Fertilization = creating organismal life. Here's a better idea: end AIDS, end cancer, end disease in general--in the life that already exists!

You're welcome runners

Why can't scientists come up with a cure for a virus as they have with a bacterial infection? Nasty virus's and how ironic the common cold is usually a virus so common to mankind.

This leads me to thinking about viral warfare. Anyone watch 24 last season? Could happen.

The simple answer is that bacteria are alive and can be killed. Viruses aren't, and it's rather hard to "kill" something that isn't alive in the first place. Since antibiotics are made to kill living cells, they don't work against viral infections.

I haven't watched too much of 24, but if you're talking about killers viruses as biological warfare agents-it's definitely the stuff of nightmares.

At last - some concurrence, and I thought it would never happen in my life-time. There is yet hope

[jeffnevins]

A virus is not life.

A virus is not strictly alive.. nor is it strictly dead... A virus has some fundamental information (genes made of DNA or RNA) which allows it to make copies of itself. However, the virus must be inside a living cell of some kind before the information can be used. In fact, the information won't be made available unless the virus enters a living cell. It is this entrance of a virus into a cell which is called a viral infection. Too, the virus is very, very small relative to the size of a living cell. Therefore, the information the virus can carry is actually not enough to allow it to make copies (replicate). The virus uses the cell's machinery and some of the cell's enzymes to generate virus parts which are later assembled into thousands of new, mature, infectious virus which can leave the cell to infect other cells. Poliomyelitis virus for example, may have over one million copies of its basic genetic information (RNA) inside a single, infected human intestinal mucosal cell.

http://people.ku.edu/~jbrown/virus.html

I agree with josh, it's just weird.

Thanks for the info.

I wasn't sure if I was getting all the facts from people using this article online.

Guess the title should be "Are scientists creating life?"

Thankfully the answer is no.

[billie]

Who can say? We never know when the trump will sound. Could be any second now.

[SaturnV]

Just one thought. It isn't "creating life" until they learn to create the cell. That ain't happening.

Oh really? With the ability to put things together atom by atom you don't think that humanity will ever reach this milestone?

We're still a very long way off from being able to snthesize a living cell. We are part of the way there, though. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say we're at least 50 years away from being able to create true life in the lab from scratch. Hopefully, the human race will be ready for it by the time that day comes.

On the other hand, the Human Genome Project was supposed to take a full 15 years, so I could be wrong...

Help .... one day they might actually create a scientist

Why do you think we invented cloning?

Edited January 23, 2007 by SaturnV