Creating Synthetic Life - New Show on Discovery Science
DISCOVERY SCIENCE OFFERS AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK INTO DR. J CRAIG VENTER’S CREATION OF SYNTHETIC LIFE – Creating Synthetic Life premieres on Tuesday July 27 at 8 pm
Mumbai 19 July 2010 : For the first time in Earth’s history, man has created synthetic life. This is the first self-replicating species on the planet whose parent is a computer. On May 20, 2010, world-renowned scientist Dr. J. Craig Venter and his team at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) created history by synthetically creating a living, self-replicating cell. How the synthetic cell created and what was exactly does this development mean for the human race? Is DNA sequence alone enough to create a living creature? Where exactly will this development take us? Could this technology be used for negative purposes? What are the ethical concerns we must weigh before using it?
India’s first and only 24-hour science channel, Discovery Science has documented this exciting five-year journey of Dr. J Craig Venter and his quest to produce life synthetically. Premiering on Tuesday, July 27 at 8 pm, the one-hour special CREATING SYNTHETIC LIFE takes viewers inside Dr Venter’s pioneering quest and reveals the failures, successes and breakthrough moments of Dr Venter, Nobel Laureate Hamilton Smith, Dr Clyde Hutchison and JCVI researchers as they meticulously sought to create a synthetic single-celled organism.
Commenting on the programme, Rahul Johri, senior vice president & general manager, India, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, “Discovery Science brings viewers closer to scientific discoveries that are changing our world. The groundbreaking programme Creating Synthetic Life immerses viewers in the incredible possibilities of science, captures the breakthrough moments and unravels how this technology will affect our lives.”
Dr J. Craig Venter is regarded as one of the leading scientists of the 21st century for his numerous invaluable contributions to genomic research. He is Founder and President of the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), a non-profit, research and support organisation with more than 400 scientists and staff dedicated to human, microbial, plant and environmental genomic research, the exploration of social and ethical issues in genomics and seeking alternative energy solutions through genomics. Dr Venter and his team at the JCVI has created history and they are the first to create a self-replicating, living cell. This marks a huge step forward not only in research, but also in providing potential solutions to a host of global challenges like generating new food sources, pharmaceuticals and vaccines; cleaning up pollution; creating new energy sources; producing clean water and more.
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