I'm glad I'm an Alpha, because Alphas wear red. Betas wear ugly Green...

We are finally one step closer to the scary vision of Aldus Huxley circa 1930's. We are within reach of creating an entirely synthetic lifeform...

US scientists have taken a major step toward creating the first ever artificial lifeform by synthetically reproducing the DNA of a bacteria, according to a study published Thursday.

The move, which comes after five years of research, is seen as the penultimate stage in the endeavour to create an artificial life form based entirely on a man-made DNA genome -- something which has tantalised scientists and sci-fi writers for years.

This is a potentially wonderful discovery, but at the same time raises all kinds of ethical and moral issues. Should creating life from scratch in a tube (essentially, thats obviously an over-simplification) be something we as a society strive to master?

Anyone that has read "Brave New World" (which is quoted in the article) knows the scary future in which people are essentially bred into their own caste system shows obviously the worst possible outcome of this technology, or perhaps accidentally creating an organism that becomes a virulent strain that we are unable to fight off.

The flip side of course being we could genetically engineer organisms to assist in cancer prevention, or other disease fighting properties...

What does the community think about this? I'm genuinely curious to hear what people think about this technology?

A Brave New World

Apparently Dubya still loves to be read to before he goes to bed.

A few days later, I brought into the Oval Office my copy of Brave New World, Aldous Huxley’s 1932 anti-utopian novel, and as I read passages aloud imagining a future in which humans would be bred in hatcheries, a chill came over the room. “We’re tinkering with the boundaries of life here,” Bush said when I finished. “We’re on the edge of a cliff. And if we take a step off the cliff, there’s no going back. Perhaps we should only take one step at a time.”

As you saw Jay P. Lefkowitz, who worked as general counsel in the Office of Management and Budget under Bush, has written a book called "Stem Cells and the President: An Inside Account". Imagine what would have happened during Dubya's presidency if other books had been read to him.

Would have still violated our rights if someone had read to him 1984?

Would things have been run differently if he had been read Animal Farm?

Would have kept on doing drugs if he had heard Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?

Would Voldemort had been moved to the FBI's Top Ten Most wanted after The Half Blood Prince?

Would 9-11 happen if he had been read the briefing Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US?