In a world first, Craig Venter, a maverick biologist and billionaire entrepreneur, has made a synthetic cell from scratch. In future, bacterial ‘factories’ could be set up to manufacture artificial organisms designed for specific tasks such as medicines or producing clean biofuels. The technology could also be harnessed to create environmentally friendly bugs capable of mopping up carbon dioxide or toxic waste. Dr Venter, a 63-year-old Vietnam War veteran known …Read more