Countdown to a synthetic lifeform

Synthetic life could be just around the corner -- depending on what you mean by "synthetic." Last week, genomics pioneer Craig Venter announced that his team has passed an important milestone in its efforts to create a bacterial cell whose genome is entirely synthetic -- constructed chemically from the building blocks of DNA. Venter claims this goal could be achieved within months. But while Venter's synthetic genome will be housed within an existing bacterial cell, other scientists are aiming for the even more ambitious target of building an entire living cell from the basic chemical ingredients.