Ideas change everything

On the verge of creating synthetic life

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Craig Venter |

TED2008

• February 2008

"Can we create new life out of our digital universe?" Craig Venter asks. His answer is "yes" -- and pretty soon. He walks through his latest research and promises that we'll soon be able to build and boot up a synthetic chromosome. NOTE: This talk was given in 2008, and this field of science has developed quickly since then. Read "Corrections & Updates" below for more details.

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"Can we create new life out of our digital universe?" Craig Venter asks. His answer is "yes" -- and pretty soon. He walks through his latest research and promises that we'll soon be able to build and boot up a synthetic chromosome. NOTE: This talk was given in 2008, and this field of science has developed quickly since then. Read "Corrections & Updates" below for more details.

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This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

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About the speaker

Biologist, genetics pioneer

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In 2001, Craig Venter made headlines for sequencing the human genome. In 2003, he started mapping the ocean's biodiversity. And now he's created the first synthetic lifeforms -- microorganisms that can produce alternative fuels.

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Corrections & Updates

This talk should viewed as a piece of science history, not the last word on synthetic biology. Click for more details.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.