Post by AtomHeartMother on Nov 18, 2003 22:19:53 GMT -5
Environmentalists sound alarm over man-made virus
By Charles Arthur, Technology Editor
14 November 2003
Scientists from the United States have created a simple virus from scratch, assembling more than 5,000 DNA building blocks, which they say could eventually lead to genetically-modified organisms able to eat carbon dioxide and clean the environment.
The idea provoked immediate opposition from environmental campaigners who branded it "very dangerous and a bit madcap" and warned that such organisms could run amok.
Led by Dr Craig Venter, the scientist who became famous for his commercial drive in the unravelling of the human genome, the team at the Institute for Biological Energy Alternatives stitched together the DNA of a bacteriophage - a virus which infects bacteria, not humans - using pieces of DNA available commercially. Spencer Abraham, the US Energy Secretary, suggested that it would lead to genetic manipulation of new organisms to solve pressing problems such as rising levels of carbon dioxide leading to climate change.
Roger Hickman, climate campaigner at the pressure group Friends of the Earth, said: "I can't see why what looks like a risky strategy, using GM bacteria, is being pursued over more sensible strategies like better energy efficiency."
news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/story.jsp?story=463522
By Charles Arthur, Technology Editor
14 November 2003
Scientists from the United States have created a simple virus from scratch, assembling more than 5,000 DNA building blocks, which they say could eventually lead to genetically-modified organisms able to eat carbon dioxide and clean the environment.
The idea provoked immediate opposition from environmental campaigners who branded it "very dangerous and a bit madcap" and warned that such organisms could run amok.
Led by Dr Craig Venter, the scientist who became famous for his commercial drive in the unravelling of the human genome, the team at the Institute for Biological Energy Alternatives stitched together the DNA of a bacteriophage - a virus which infects bacteria, not humans - using pieces of DNA available commercially. Spencer Abraham, the US Energy Secretary, suggested that it would lead to genetic manipulation of new organisms to solve pressing problems such as rising levels of carbon dioxide leading to climate change.
Roger Hickman, climate campaigner at the pressure group Friends of the Earth, said: "I can't see why what looks like a risky strategy, using GM bacteria, is being pursued over more sensible strategies like better energy efficiency."
news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/story.jsp?story=463522