We may find insects annoying, but one scientist thinks that they can be bioengineered to save the world. Using bits and pieces of DNA from different species, he wants to create "designer bugs" to do specific tasks, such as clean up our environment. But what if they get away and take over, the way GM fish and seeds have done?
In the New York Times, Wil S. Hylton writes: (Craig Venter) "is thinking of a bug that could swim in a pond and soak up sunlight and urinate automotive fuel. He is thinking of a bug that could live in a factory and gobble exhaust and fart fresh air."
But what if machines really were alive? Many people who have experienced the Visitors say they seem like living machines (NOTE: Subscribers have a coupon to get this beautiful hardback book for less than $5!) If Venter is able to invent such things, he will only need to do it once, since they’ll be able to reproduce.
We may even be able to eventually get a phone app for the bugs we want. Hylton quotes engineer Drew Endy as saying, "Biology is the ultimate distributed manufacturing platform."
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