Scientists Make Artificial Gene Code

Scientists have successfully created an organism with an artificial genetic code for the first time. Instead of relying on the four nucleotides that are the building blocks of DNA, scientists at Scripps Research Institute were able to synthesize two new ones and insert them into bacterium E. coli., which then reproduced normally and replicated them. With artificial nucleotides, there is the potential to make new proteins and building blocks of life. The breakthrough suggests new possibilities for medical research but also raises new concerns about man playing God.