Venter’s ‘artifical’ life “interesting but not profound”
Controversial scientist Craig Venter grabbed the headlines last week when it was reported that his team of researchers had created “artifical” life. But, as Dick Ahlstrom noted in Saturday’s Irish Times, several scientists [in Ireland] were not as enthusiastic. “I think it has been exaggerated. He has a reputation for showmanship,” Prof Wolfe, professor of genome evolution, said yesterday. “He hasn’t created life, he has mimicked life. It is a technical achievement to synthesise a piece of DNA that size,” he added. “It …