It looks we can do great things like removing toxic waste by creating a virus from scratch.

So "we" now can design a real virus from scratch in a fourtnight. Everyone seems thrilled, but it gives me the creeps if I read about it.

In one article I read:

"However, the method is not yet suitable to make the artificial chromosome, the team concedes, as the viruses produced were not perfect, it turns out. They had mutations most probably introduced by initial errors in the original oligonucleotides, so the technique will have to be coupled with others designed to correct those errors."

Let's hope that these guys know what they are doing and that they do not create a "buggy virus" by accident.

The method to build the virus will not be patented, so it will be available to everyone interested.

"But the method equally makes it much simpler to manufacture a deadly virus for use as a bioweapon. The simple precursors needed would be impossible for governments to keep out of the hands of would-be biowarriors."

And who knows what will happen when Microsoft gets into the virus creation bussiness. Bill seems to like that stuff. He invests a lot of money in projects like these. As a hobby. MadIce shivers.