I loved to write about science fiction when I was in high school. At the time, genetic manipulation and cloning were all still in the far future. Yet, I was already obsessed with DNA, and I wondered if there would come a time when people would know how to arrange genetic building blocks in such a way that they could actually synthesize an artificial life-form.
Well, it seems that that day has arrived. Scientists have finally figured out a way to create their own virus that is able to reproduce itself when injected into living organisms. The project was funded in part by the Department of Energy, which hopes to create microbes that would capture carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, produce hydrogen or clean the environment.
Those are laudable reasons, of course, but we all know that the road to evil is paved with good intentions. I don't think anything good can really come out of playing God like this, because there's always someone out there who wants to use the technology for their own ends.
This is how those doomsday movies always start. You'd think we've learned by now.
This is how those doomsday movies always start. You'd think we've learned by now.
