Monday, January 25, 1999 Published at 18:57 GMT
Scientists poised to create life
If man-made cells divide, scientists will have created life
Scientists in America say they could soon have the ability to create a completely synthetic life form.
Before they begin the project, scientists at the Institute for Genomic Research in Maryland plan to ask religious and ethical experts at the University of Pennsylvania to consider the moral implications of such a venture.
First they need to string the genes into a double helix and then place it into a cell wall. If they are successful, their creation might start to reproduce and take on a life of its own.
Risk of the unknown
John Durant, Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Imperial College in London, highlighted the benefits of such technology.
The main disadvantage of creating synthetic life forms, he said, was "the risk of the unforeseen".
He told the BBC: "What the Americans are proposing to do is to put together genes of their choosing into a cell, but they won't be able to predict in advance every single property that that cell has."
He was reluctant to talk about public fears of the creation of a modern-day Frankenstein, but said the US scientists did need to proceed carefully and cautiously.