That was not the goal of this project, this project was a prove a technological possibility for a biotech company that has all intent to utilize this new technology.
Whether it was the goal of
this project or not is irrelevant. I am talking about trying to create life from scratch. For it's own sake.
Maybe for you all science and investigation has to have an alterior motive than mere curiosity. Not for me. I like investigations just to be able to solve a mystery.
When you say from scratch do you mean every thing from starch even the ribosomes, every assisting bio-molecule, that a near impossible waste of energy to achieve.
What you call a waste of energy many people would consider the holy grail of biology... to be able to create life from scratch from inert material.
We have had DNA replication in vitro for decades, now we have artificial cells, the middle ground is of little value, if you want to learn how life was founded focus is most likely needed on creating an RNA only organism as this is the supposed predecessor to the much more stable DNA and central dogma system of life today.
However it is done - the investigation and pursuit is of significant worth in and of itself.
For you to say the "middle ground is of little value" reinforces my opinion that you only seem to think of economic value.
Shame.
We are talking about a technology for a use not a useless glory achievement. Its like your comparing the invention of the atomic bomb, transistors and DNA to a fucking mountain climbing and track races! The ability to construct artificial cells be it with natural cell starting points opens a pandora's box of possibilities, which is why this is a issue.
I am making no such comparison. You are. And for some reason you are getting worked up about it.
(and are you sure DNA was
invented???)
Yes, this achievement was a technological demonstrator that could pave the way to many uses to... but it is also helping us toward the peak of the mountain that others want to climb merely because it is there.
You might want to ignore that - but I choose not to.
Should mountain climbers ignore all the technological advances that have been developed for economic gain but make the mountain peak more achievable?
We climb the mountain because it is there.
We use what we can to get there.
And to many there is no higher mountain than the creation of life from scratch.
Waste of effort?
If only all scientists thought like you. :shrug: