Bioethicist Gareth Jones writes about the creation of the first functional synthetic genome, arguing that placing a moratorium on the continuation of such research is not necessary.
He also points out that, while the breakthrough is significant, it is years away from having practical applications.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“Humans have been increasing their control over the environment and themselves throughout human history and this represents a further step in the same direction.
“As with all previous developments, the positives and negatives are uncomfortably intertwined.
“There needs to be intense public discussion over what may be some of the implications of developments in this area.”