"Tim Tyler"  wrote in message
news:cjepv1$1re6$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org...
> Anthony Cerrato  wrote or quoted:
> > "Tim Tyler"  wrote:
> > > Robert Karl Stonjek  wrote or
quoted:
>
> > > > The potential for synthetic biology | By Pamela
Silver and Jeffrey Way
> > > >
> > > > ? 2003 Nature Publishing Group
> > > >
> > > > Synthetic biology is a new discipline based on the
> > > > expectation of a revolution. In the future,
bioengineers will
> > > > create new organisms based on the same strategies
that engineers
> > > > use to design computer chips, bridges,
> > > > and skyscrapers. Mathematical modeling will drive
the
> > > > design of useful, artificial organisms, instead of
relying on the
> > > > blind, trial-and-error methods of natural selection.
> > >
> > > It sounds like artificial life rechristened.
> >
> > I dunno--depends whether or not there are biologists in
that
> > bunch or just electronics/computer guys. I do like this
idea
> > of engineering "synthetic" life in a real biological
sense.
>
> ``The process of synthesis has been an extremely important
tool in many
>   disciplines. Synthetic chemistry - the ability to put
together new
>   chemical compounds not found in nature - has not only
contributed
>   enormously to our theoretical understanding of chemical
phenomena, but
>   has also allowed us to fabricate new materials and
chemicals that are
>   of great practical use for industry and technology.

Make no mistake, I am not putting down computer simulation
and other techniques in the study of synthetic methods of
various kinds (as a rather old retired analytical chemist I
am very aware of the power and utility of these techniques
in increasing our knowledge and ability to duplicate/improve
various real world processes.) I would agree that the
extension of such techniques to biology may well turn out to
be invaluable in ultimately duplicating the Origin of Life
process(es) in the lab--they certainly will be useful in
studying various aspects of the subject. The only point I
was making was the following: if some sequential method were
theoretically developed for an OOL process, using computer
models for example, and the method
was completely accepted by biologists through peer review,
no one will completely really believe it until and if it is
actually duplicated in real world labs. Would you? :))
Regards,     ...tonyC

>   Artificial life amounts to the practice of ``synthetic
biology'' and, by
>   analogy with synthetic chemistry, the attempt to
recreate biological
>   phenomena in alternative media will result in not only
better
>   theoretical understanding of the phenomena under study,
but also in
>   practical applications of biological principles in the
technology of
>   computer hardware and software, mobile robots,
spacecraft, medicine,
>   nanotechnology, industrial fabrication and assembly, and
other vital
>   engineering projects.''
>
>  - Chris Langton's "What is Artificial Life?" essay, from:
>    http://alife.ccp14.ac.uk/zooland/zooland/
> -- 
> __________
>  |im |yler  http://timtyler.org/  tim{at}tt1lock.org  Remove
lock to reply.
>
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