The article explains it better than I do. There is a video in the article if you are too lazy to read. Click Here.

How do you think about it?

Only the DNA is synthetic. That's not advanced. That's just tedious.

The technique itself isn't advanced, to create a synthetic DNA using YAC genome libraries (Yeast Artificial Chromossome) and then implant it as separated different vectors has been used since the dawn of genetics engineering in the 70's.

What's advanced though, and a major break through, is that the entire synthetic DNA works like a functional chromossome (since Bacteria only have one chromossome), which has every normal function as normal DNA. For that matter, that single synthetic chromossome has to have the ability to functionalize hundreds of different genes and alelles, create it's own restriction enzymes and polymerases, have it's own proteossomic and ribossomic capacities. This is what's groundbreaking in this new synthetic cell.

 

proof of intelligent design!

reading about this in the paper this morning on the train, sounds interesting and like it has potential for the future, though from what I understand, this only proves the underlying theory, it doesnt in itself do anything that important just yet, im not a biologist though.

Actually this opens up a whole new field in genetics engineering. Previous to having a whole synthetic cell, the study of different mutation effects and study of genomic libraries, studies had to be done with use of generic bacteria like E.Coli, B.Subtilis, H.Influenza or with the use of genetically modified Yeasts (S.Cervisiae) using phages as vector mediums.

With this new technology, the entire synthetic DNA can be manipulated to provide the same yield of effects. We're talking about a whole chromossome that was man-made. That's literally millions of nucleotides arranged in a fashion that provides functionality for hundreds of genes and that can express the necessary building blocks (amino-acids and glucose-degrading enzymes) for that cell to grow. Now, with the advent of this technology, scientist can express the mutations and the study of different gene combinations on the chromossome itself.

That makes us gods now.  I want to be the God of Wisdom, so I can smack people for being ignorant.

Right, I was mainly trolling.

Though it's still not a synthetic cell. They cannot make that claim until they actually build the entire cell wall and nucleus from scratch. I'll give ribosomes and the other funnies a pass (except for mitochondria, as they have their own DNA), since they're unnecessary for a cell to operate.

Anyways, either way, I'm still not impressed. I want to see them engineer a single cell to replicate into a more complex organism. This will require either multiple chromosomes OR engineering the chromosome to give the bacterium some sort of mission. Like maybe to attack a certain type of bacteria and leave everything else alone.

Very true. I hope that in a few years time we'll have synthetic bacterium on the market for recombinant expression of proteins, in particular, expressing mammalian cells that would normally be insoluble in your typical E. coli expression systems, with a greater number of chaperones on the chromosome to improve soluble expression.

The implications on whole-cell bioprocesses and metabolic engineering are astounding.

The problem of expressing mammalian cells is the huge amount of bp's that each mammalian gene require. Probably it won't be sufficient to have synthetic bacterium to express them in recombinant fashion. 

Probably, when the techonology gets more advanced, and we can synthetically manufacture eukaryotic DNA and express it, then that techonology will be viable. Yeasts or Algae are probably the most likely source, and quite frankly, the next step in this field.

But yeah, the whole implications on this discovery are simply staggering. It's probably the major breakthrough since the definition of modern day genomics in the 60's.