On May 21, 2010, the J. Craig Venter Institute (a team of approximately 20 scientists headed by Nobel laureate Hamilton Smith, with facilities in Rockville, Maryland and La Jolla, California) successfully synthesized the genome of the bacterium Mycoplasma mycoides from a computer record, and transplanted the synthesized genome into the existing cell of a Mycoplasma capricolum bacterium that had had its DNA removed. The newly formed “synthetic” bacterium was able to replicate billions of times, and declared by its creators a new and viable life form. However, not everyone agrees. Some scientists argue it is not a fully synthetic life form since  its genome was put into an existing cell. The Vatican also claims it is not a new life.

Boon or bane? Despite potential practical applications, such as developing useful organisms  for the creation bio-fuel production, there is a dark side. Some scientist fear the techniques used to create the bacterium Mycoplasma mycoides could also be used to create a biological weapon, like smallpox. In essence, the smallpox virus could be synthesized in a similar manner from it computer generated DNA code. The newly constructed DNA could then be inserted into existing related pox viruses.

In my opinion, this is another area, similar to artificial intelligence, that lacks appropriate regulation. Theoretically, it would be possible to synthesize a virus even worse than smallpox and unleash it on the world population. It is an existential threat we cannot afford to overlook.