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Synthetic biochemical life.
Scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute have studied the chemical reactions necessary to assemble molecules of DNA with enough genes to sustain bacterial life. The creation of synthetic life in the laboratory is being pursued through genetic engineering by producing synthetic ribosomes that can generate long, complex proteins. The synthetic genomes can be custom tailored to create organisms that produce useful chemicals or have special functions. On May 20, 2010, the J. Craig Venter Institute published the Creation of a Bacterial Cell Controlled by a Chemically Synthesized Genome (Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1190719). The new cells are capable of continuous self-replication. The debate between evolutionists and creationists is likely to continue unabated.