A team of scientists was able to create an artificial creature that may well exist independently in nature. Moreover, as the Science edition writes, initially the specialists did not have the task of acting as creators of living creatures. They were going to "check" what is the smallest number of genes that a genome can contain, which is necessary for the independent existence of a living organism.
And as a result of their experiments, scientists created a new bacterium, which was named JCVI-syn3.0. Previously, such a bacterium did not exist on the planet, it was artificially obtained in a laboratory.
Experts took the bacterium Mycoplasma mycoides, the genome of which includes 901 genes. However, geneticists were able to "get" from it only those genes that were most needed for reproduction and maintenance of the life of the organism. As a result, the number of genes decreased by more than two times, and amounted to 437 pieces. From them, scientists have created a completely new bacterium.
At the same time, the specialists failed to find out the exact purpose of the third part of the genes that are included in the bacterium. But scientists know for sure that they are needed to ensure the viability of the bacteria.
Dr. Craig Venter, who led the project, has already said that this discovery proves that the hypothesis of scientists about the existence of an unusual "life force" is wrong. “Now we have put an end to the concept that there is something special that can breathe life,” says the doctor.
The breakthrough of scientists proves that it is theoretically possible to reduce life to a molecular formula. And by changing the sets of genomes someday, geneticists will be able to create different organisms.