By Jessica Shankleman
(BusinessGreen, May 21, 2010) It has been hailed as one of the most significant and controversial scientific breakthroughs in decades, raising the prospect of a new era of synthetic biology that promises to tackle many of the world’s environmental problems. But renewable energy experts downplayed news that a team of scientists have created the world’s first artificial cell, warning it will take years before the breakthrough can be put to commercial use. Scientists at the J Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), led by geneticist Craig Venter, today published a paper in the journal Science detailing how they have successfully created the first synthetic bacterial cell, effectively creating what some scientists have hailed as an entirely new species. JCVI’s commercial backer Synthetic Genomics (SGI), which was co-founded by Venter, issued a statement applauding the discovery as a major breakthrough that will ultimately enable the development of man-made organic technologies capable of producing biofuels and tackling pollution. Click here to read more…