Reading report nº 5

Name: Cristina Soledad Guzmán
Date: April, 24th
Title: Biologists join the race to create synthetic life
Source: www.guardian.co.uk Date of publication: Sunday April 20 2008


Vocabulary:
Outline: n. 1. a. A line marking the outer boundaries of an object or figure. b. Shape; contour. 2. A style of drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading. 3. A short description, account, or summary. v. out·lined out·lin·ing 4. To draw an outline of. 5. To give the main features of; summarize.
Audacious: adj. 1. Fearlessly daring. See synonyms at adventurous. 2. Arrogantly insolent; impudent.
Stripping: strip v. stripped strip·ping1. a. To remove the covering from. b. To undress. 2. To deprive, as of honors or rank; divest. 3. To remove all excess detail from. 4. To dismantle piece by piece. 5. To damage or break the threads of ( for example, a screw) or the teeth of (a gear). 6. To rob or plunder. strip“per n. strip n. 1. A long narrow piece. 2. A comic strip. 3. An airstrip. 4. A narrow space or area, as along a highway.
Reassemble: v.1. to fit the parts of sth together again after it has been taken apart.2. to meet together again as a group after a break.
Accelerating: ac·cel·er·ate v. ac·cel·er·at·ed ac·cel·er·at·ing1. To make or become faster. 2. To cause to occur sooner than expected.
Microbes: n. 1. A microorganism.
Soak Up: v 1. To make thoroughly wet by or as if by being immersed in liquid; steep. 2. To absorb. 3. To be immersed. 4. To penetrate or permeate; seep. n. 5. The act or process of soaking. 6. Slang. A drunkard.
Churn Out: n. 1. A vessel or device in which cream or milk is agitated to make butter. v. 2. a. To agitate or stir (milk or cream) in a churn. b. To make (butter) by churning. 3. To shake or stir vigorously. See synonyms at agitate. 4. To produce in an abundant and automatic manner: churns out four novels a year.
Tailor: n. 1. One who makes, repairs, and alters garments. v. 2. To make (a garment). 3. To make or adapt for a particular purpose.
Circuitry: n. pl. cir·cuit·ries1. The design of or a detailed plan for an electric circuit. 2. Electric circuits collectively.


Main Ideas

Synthetic biology is the most audacious, and controversial, scientific idea of the 21st century.
The new discipline involves stripping microbes down to their basic constituents so they can be reassembled and manipulated to create new life forms.
It also poses dangers like the possibility of creating deadly pathogens.
The major biotechnology companies that sell these DNA segments are careful to try to monitor their sale.
Scientists are now learning how to design life.
This project has brought scientists to the cusp of a new industrial revolution in which new fuels, drugs, medical treatments and sensors can be created from biological materials.
One idea is the creation of organisms that could soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and turn it into hydrocarbon biofuels; so it can help in the fight against global warming.
Engineering life is not new, it is the basis of the biotechnology and GM crops industries. Scientists can produce a microbe that can be tailored to do all sorts of different tasks.

Personal reaction

As new technologies and scientific procedures are developed, more and more science fiction kind of experiments are tested. And scientists are supposed to work for the sake of humankind in order to do our lives easier.
Researchers in London promote synthetic biology. The new discipline involves stripping microbs down to their basic genetic constituents so they can be reassembled and manipulated to create new life forms. However, some researchers warn that synthetic biology also poses dangers.
This article deals with a new way of scientific research called synthetic biology. This procedure can help to create multiple biological materials, and could also help in the battle against global warming.
In conclusion, nowadys technological advances can help to create procedures never imagined before. These procedures must be carefully tested before implementing them in serious investigations.