Scientists ‘swap’ bacteria’s DNA

June 29, 2007

A team led by maverick U.S. geneticist Craig Venter is reporting it has successfully transferred an entirely new set of genetic machinery into a tiny microbe and “booted” it up.

The feat, published online Thursday by the journal Science, is being greeted as both a landmark in bioengineering and evidence that Venter is racing into ethically troubling territory. (Vancouver Sun)