Creation (28 page)

in biological oscillator, 170–72

in electrical circuitry, 161–63

in genes, 164–65

in genetic bistable, 169–70

insulin function and, 172–73

in neurons, 165

in Venus flytrap plants, 163–64

logic gates, 162, 163–64

Lost City, 123, 124–25

Lovers, The
(movie), 81

Luca.
See
Last Universal Common Ancestor (Luca)

Luddite fallacy, 203, 225

MacLeod, Colin, 35

macrophages, 3, 48

maize (NK603), 218

malaria, 221–26

Manhattan Project, 35

Margulis, Lynn, 53

Martin, Bill, 58, 85, 124, 125–28, 130

Martins, Zita, 108

Matthaei, J. Heinrich, 40

McCarty, Maclyn, 35

Mendel, Gregor, 33–34

messenger RNA, 57, 96, 241–42

metabolism, 82, 87, 124–25, 130

meteorites, 66–69

Chicxulub, 67–68, 115

Late Heavy Bombardment, 67, 68, 69, 70, 108, 115

Murchison, 108, 114–15

panspermia theory and, 114–15

methyl, 89

microbes, 52

Micrographia
(Hooke), 15

microscopes, 13–15

Microsoft, 180

microwave ovens, 162

Miescher, Friedrich, 136–37

Miller, Stanley, 72–73, 74, 85–86, 106, 125, 130

Minimal Genome Project, 140

mirror forms of molecules, 43

mitochondria, 53, 57, 82, 124

molecular biology, 137–38

molecules, 43–44, 137–38

monkeys, 48

Monsanto, 218

Moon, 65–66

Morgan, Thomas Hunt, 34–35

movement, 76

MRS. GREN, 76, 82, 87

Murchison meteorite, 108, 114–15

music, 184

mutagenic PCR, 244

mutations, 90–91

Mycoplasma genitalium,
140–41

Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0
(Synthia), 139–44, 163, 196, 204, 211, 228–29, 247

Myriad Genetics, 195

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

Apollo programs, 66, 190

astrobiology programs, 78–79

brick-making bacteria (in situ resource utilization project), 190–92

synthetic biology programs, 174–78, 190–92

National Bioeconomy Blueprint, 197

National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), 213–14

natural selection, 6, 24–29, 120, 183

Nature,
36, 123, 168–69, 179, 188, 213, 214, 216, 224, 229

Neanderthals, 246

negative feedback loop, 170

Nephila clavipes,
145–46

neuraminidase (N), 212

neurons, 11, 165

neutrophils, 2, 3

Newman, Jack, 159

Newton, Isaac, 13, 183

Nirenberg, Marshall, 40

NK603 (maize), 218

nociceptors, 1

NOT gates, 167

nucleases, 240

nuclein, 136–37

nucleobases, 37, 235

nucleus, 19–20

Obama, Barack, 197, 204, 230

OncoMouse, 195–96

OneWorld Health, 224, 226

On the Origins of Species
(Darwin), 25, 26, 86, 147

Oparin, Aleksander, 71, 72

Oppenheimer, J. Robert, 247–48

orb-weaver spiders, 145–46

Orgel, Leslie, 114

Origin of Life Initiative, 79

origins of life, 5–7, 11–131

cell theory and, 6, 18–24

code of DNA/RNA, origins of, 89–109

conformity of life, 31–34

containment of living processes and, 117–21

defining life, 75–87

DNA and, 35–43, 89–96, 103–9

evolution by natural selection and, 6, 24–29

Hadean Earth and, 61–69

handedness of molecules of life and, 43–47

Luca and, 50, 51–59, 87

panspermia theory, 113–17

primordial soup and, 71–74, 85–86

RNA and, 94–109

underwater vent model for nursery for first life, 123–31

oscillators, 170–72

ownership of synthetic creations, 194–99

Pac Man macrophages, 3, 48

pain, 1, 2

Palin, Sarah, 139

panspermia, 113–17, 129–30

paper cut, bodies response to, 1–4

parasitic worms, 4

Parks, Rosa, 112

Pasteur, Louis

handedness of chemicals discovered by, 44–46

spontaneous generation debunked by, 22–23

Patent Act, 197

patents, 194–99

pea experiments, 33–34

Pepys, Samuel, 15

petri dishes, 4

Phanerozoic eon, 61

phenylanine, 40, 90

Philosophical Transactions,
14

phosphate, 35, 105, 107, 136

phospholipids, 118–21

Photo 51, 36

photoreceptor cells, 12

phylogenetics, 52

physics, 6–7, 13, 82–87

pigeons, 147

Pinheiro, Vitor, 238, 239

Pinto, 32

planets, formation of, 63

plasma, 2

plasmodium, 221, 222

platelet cells, 2

plate tectonics, 62–63

pneumonia, 35

polio virus, 211, 212

Porsche 911, 32

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, A
(Joyce), 247

Pouchet, Félix-Archimède, 22–23

primates, 48

primordial soup, 71–74, 85–86

Proconsul,
48

production line, creation of biological, 189–90

proofreading proteins, 91–92

proteins, 38–43, 72–74, 90–94, 137, 150–51

altering protein output, 240–45

cellular processes for construction of, 39–43, 56–57, 241–42

handedness of amino acids of, 44–46

Proterozoic eon, 61

protists, 4, 15

protocells, 119–22

proton gradient, 124–25, 127

protons, 82, 124–25

pseudopodia, 3

quinine, 222

R3C, 97–98

radiation, 175–77

effects of, 175–76

synthetic detection and treatment system, 176–77

radiation therapy, 168

reading frame, 40, 41

red blood cells, 2, 19, 24

redundancy of DNA, 90–91

Regenesis
(Church), 248–49

Registry of Standard Biological Parts, 185–86

REGObricks, 191–92

regulatory regions, 154

Remak, Robert, 21–22, 24

replication, 79, 97–101

energy as requirement for, 109

by ribozymes, 98–101, 104

repressilator, 169

restriction enzymes, 150–52, 206

Rhinodipterus,
49

ribose, 105, 238

ribosomes, 56–58, 95–96, 242

ribozymes, 98–103

rice (capable of producing beta-carotene), 159

right-handed molecules, 44–47

RNA polymerase, 126

RNA (ribonucleic acid), 42–43, 56–58, 94–109, 127, 137, 150

copying function of, 97–101

evolving two code ribozymes, 101–103

as forefather of DNA, 94–96

messenger, 42, 57, 96, 241–42

origin of code of, 103–9

protein construction, role in, 42–43, 241–42

R3C, 97–98

ribozymes, 98–103

transfer, 242

RNA world hypothesis, 96, 104

Robinson, William Heath, 122

rock dove, 147

Rogers, Jeff, 102

root nurturing bacteria to fight desertification, creation of, 189

Rothamsted trial, 201–3, 227

Rothschild, Lynn, 190

Roundup (maize), 218

Royal Society, 13, 14, 15

Russell, Mike, 124–25, 130

Rutherford, Ernest, 82

sampler/sampling, 184, 198

Sandhoff disease, 243

Sanofi-Aventis, 224, 226

Saturn V
(spacecraft), 190

Savoy cabbage, 143

Savulescu, Julian, 142

saxifrages, 246

Schleiden, Matthias, 20, 21, 24

Schrödinger, Erwin, 83, 84

Schultz, Peter, 243

Schwann, Theodor, 20, 21, 24

Science,
73, 208, 213

scientific method, 22

second law of thermodynamics, 83–86

Séralini, Gilles-Eric, 218–20

serpentinization, 124

shadow biosphere, 50–51

Shelley, Mary, 204

sickle cell anemia, 91

single cell organisms, 52

skin, 3

Slinky, 45

smallpox, 210, 212

smartphones, 180

Smith, Hamilton, 150–51

sniper circuits, 166–68

software, 196

solar nebula, 63

speciation, 146–48

species, 146–47

sperm cells, 11, 48

spiders, 145–46, 148–49

Spongiforma squarepantsii,
32

spontaneous generation, 16–18, 21, 22–23

Sporosarcina pasteurii,
191

start codon, 41

Star Trek,
234

Stewart, Potter, 81

stop codon, 41, 243

stromatolites, 69

sun, formation of, 63

Sustainable Food Trust, 219

Sutherland, John, 106–7, 108, 127, 130, 235

Swift, Jonathan, 226

sycamore, 32

“Synthesis of Activated Pyrimidine Ribonucleotides in Prebiotically Plausible Conditions” (Sutherland), 106–7

synthetic biology, 7, 138–44, 156–232

agenda politics and, 217–20

alien bases integrated into DNA, 236–37

alien code, creation of, 238–40

altering protein output, 240–45

arguments in support of, 226–32

assassin circuits, creation of, 166–68

BioBrick project and, 185–86

biocapsule, development of, 177–78

biofuel projects, 156–59

biological clock in
E. coli,
creation of, 169–70

biological oscillator, creation of, 170–72

biological production line, creation of, 189–90

brick-making bacteria, 190–92

as descendant of genetic engineering, 156

DNA as digital data storage device, use of, 246–50

edge detector, creation of, 188

fossil fuel creation, circuit for, 188–89

generic biosensor, creation of, 188

genetic bistable, creation of, 169–70

International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition and, 186–94

killer flu experiments and, 212–17

logic in life and, 161–81

malaria treatment and, 221–26

NASA's program, 174–78

noise generated by complexity of living organisms and, 178–81

opposition to, 201–20

ownership of synthetic creations, 194–99

radiation detection and treatment system, 176–77

Registry of Standard Biological Parts, 185–86

remixing nature of, 184–85

report commissioned by Obama on, 204–5

rice (capable of producing beta-carotene), 159

root nurturing bacteria to fight desertification, creation of, 189

standardization and codification and, 185–86, 192–94

Venter's creation of Synthia, 139–44, 163, 196, 204, 211, 228–29, 247

weaponizing of engineered life-forms as argument against, 209–12

synthetic genetics, 239

Synthia, 139–44, 163, 196, 204, 211, 228–29, 247

systems chemistry, 106

Szostak, Jack, 79–80, 87, 98–100, 118, 119, 120–21, 122, 130, 240

TAA stop codon, 41

Tabarrok, Alex, 225–26

tagging genes, 153

TAG stop codon, 41

Take the Flour Back, 201–3, 209

tartaric acid, 45

Technology and Concentration (ETC), 204, 205, 209, 211, 215, 225

TGA stop codon, 41

thalidomide, 46

Theia, 65–66

Theobald, Douglas, 56

theory of evolution by natural selection, 27

thermodynamics, second law of, 83–86

thymine (T), 36–37, 89, 101, 105

thyristor, 162

tissue, creation of, 3–4

TNA (threose), 238

toggle switch, 169

transfer RNA (t-RNA), 242

transgene, 152

transgenic organisms, 150

transistors, 162, 163

tree of life, 29, 50–55

archaea domain and, 52–54

bacteria domain and, 52–54

complex life and, 52–55

horizontal gene transfer and, 54–55

phylogenetics and, 51–52

Trifonov, Edward, 80

TRUE value, 168

tryptophan, 241

Turdus philomelos,
32

UAG (amber stop codon), 243

University of Utah Research Foundation, 195

uracil (U), 101, 105–8

uranium, 64

urea, synthesis of, 71

urease, 191

Urey, Harold, 72

van Helmont, Jean Baptiste, 17–18

van Leeuwenhoek, Antonie, 13–15, 16, 17, 18, 136

Variola major,
210, 211

Venter, J. Craig, 139–44, 163, 196, 204, 211, 228–29, 247–48

vents, 123–31

Venus flytrap plants, 163–64

vertebrates, 49

Virchow, Rudolf, 21–22

viruses, 151, 234–35

vitalism, 71

Vitruvius, 17

Voigt, Christopher, 185–86

Voyager 1
(spacecraft), 163

water, 65

Watson, James, 36, 39, 72, 137, 208

weaponizing of engineered life-forms, 209–12

Wedgwood, Emma, 25

Wedgwood, Josiah, 25

Weiss, Ron, 166, 173

What Is Life?
(Haldane), 80, 83

wheat ((E)-ß farnesene wheat), 202, 227

white blood cells, 2

Wilkins, Maurice, 35, 37, 137

William III, King of England, 14

wobble pairing, 101

Wöhler, Friedrich, 71

wolves, 32

wooly mammoth, 246

World Health Organization (WHO), 214, 222, 224–25

wormwood, 222, 223, 225

xeno-nucleic acids (XNAs), 238–40

x-ray diffraction, 35–36

yeast cells, 4

Yellowstone Park, 58

Ziegler of Strasbourg, 17

zircon crystals, 64–65

zymogenic cells, 11

1
. I say “think” because he also describes seeing
globuls
in milk, and these are likely to have been suspended droplets of fat.