Patent sought on 'synthetic life' - BBC piece

newmod said:

Here´s the link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6733797.stm

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".

Anybody fancy re-hashing Frankenstein?

Click to expand...

The Patent System wasn't as loosey-goosey back then, so the only way to make money from the idea was to write a novel.

I'm more worried some corporate scientist would cut some corners (speed that product to market, Professor Wells) and leave us stuck with playing out the last scene of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS ... y'know ... the Martians dead in their mighty technology and machines across the world, slain by the simplest of organisms?

It's one thing for every kid in the world to have an iPod or a cell phone ... it's worse if they have a designer germ living in their brains like a Mad Cow prion/time bomb they picked up somewhere ...