Vie artificielle, déjà demain ?

[José]

Artificial life could be created "within five years", researchers from the USA have claimed.

Laboratories across the world are closing in on a "second genesis" - an achievement that would be one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of all time.

Prof David Deamer, from California University, said although building a new lifeform from scratch is a daunting task he is confident it can happen in five to 10 years.

He said: "The momentum is building - we're knocking at the door."

A synthetic, made-to-order living system could produce everything from new drugs to biofuels and greenhouse gas absorbers.

Opponents of the controversial research claim the technology could lead to machines becoming "almost human".

But there would be no safety issues for a long time as any initial organisms would be very primitive and need large-scale life support in the lab, reports New Scientist.

The finishing line could be in sight after geneticists Professor George Church and Dr Michael Jewett, of Harvard Medical School, told a synthetic biology conference in Hong Kong that they had synthetically created part of a cell, called a ribosome.

The breakthrough offers hope that they could create an entire cell; something Prof Church believes would be a relatively minor challenge.

He said: "There's nothing you'd expect to go wrong - the way we expected things to go wrong with the assembly."

However, according to Dr Anthony Forster, of Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, who is also creating a synthetic living cell in a test tube with Prof Church, "until you actually try this you won't know".

"Having said that we know cells can do it so we should be able to do it sooner or later."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechn…five-years.html

[Brock]

Opponents of the controversial research claim the technology could lead to machines becoming "almost human".

1.sens?

2.et donc?

(encore une giclee de betise qui a echape au journaliste ca)

par contre le ribosome artificiel la je dis chapo.

moi je suis pour.

[h16]

Pour aussi. Rien de tel qu'une poignée de ribosomes le matin avant d'aller bosser pour donner la pêche.

[Brock]

dans du lait avec des proteines

[Nick de Cusa]

Y a de la petite forme dans l'air aujourd'hui, c'est 16issant.

[h16]

Non, c'est simplement de l'humour 13 et 3.

[Brock]

mm je propose d'excommunier Nic de cu

[Drake]

mm je propose d'excommunier Nic de cu

Inutile. Jesrad le désexcommuniera immédiatement.

Sur l'article de Lucilio :

- les percés scientifiques fondamentales qui bouleverseront le monde dans moins de dix, si ça se passe comme pour la fusion nucléaire, on peut attendre encore longtemps.

- Pourquoi faut-il que le journaliste veuille à toute force trouver des opposants à un projet de recherche inabouti et dont personne n'avait entendu parler jusqu'ici (avec en plus un argument aussi stupide que "des machines presque humaines") ? Faut-il vraiment qu'une recherche fasse polémique pour qu'il soit digne d'en parler?

[h16]

C'est du journalisme. Sachons en rire.

[Tortue joviale]

C'est du journalisme. Sachons en rire.

Avec modération alors.

[h16]

Rire non. Consommer, oui.

[h16]

Pendant ce temps, le monde des pingouins est en pleine révolution :

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1699…-the-skies.html

The graceful robotic penguins in the video above were unveiled by German engineering firm Festo this week.

Using their flippers, the mechanical penguins can paddle through water just like real ones, while larger helium-filled designs can "swim" through the air. The penguins are on show at the Hannover Messe Trade Exhibition in Germany.

Each penguin carries 3D sonar developed by EvoLogics in Berlin, Germany, which is used to monitor its surroundings and avoid collisions with walls or other penguins.

[Brock]

c'est tres bo.surtout ceux qui volent.