Humanity’s Next Great Leap
Media Analysis of a Scientific Case Study

Abstract
The human race’s ability to manipulate the world around us has continued to grow exponentially as we have made our various technological leaps further forward into the future. J. Craig Venter, and a team of his best and brightest, managed to push the envelope even further with his breakthrough discoveries in genomic research, resulting in the creation of the first ever self-replicating man-made living cell. Many pivotal discoveries such as this have played key roles in shaping humanity’s development. Things that were once considered to be out of our reach or of unknown origins have slowly been unlocked as a result of the advancements we have made through the ages. This paper analyzes how the journalists of three separate internet news articles reported on JCVI’s successful creation of a synthetic bacterial cell. The purpose was to interpret the articles and to determine whether or not the information within them accurately reported the findings of the J. Craig Venter Institute’s case study.

There has been a great deal of speculation as to what the next scientific advancement will be to act as the catalyst for the next great leap forward in mankind’s long history of scientific progressions. Many of our newly discovered technologies have greatly improved the quality of our lives, while others have simply given rise to increasingly more efficient ways for killing one another. The difference between a nuclear power plant and a nuclear warhead immediately comes to mind. Whichever side of morality these technological breakthroughs have fallen on, certain discoveries in history have consequently changed the way we humans have lived our lives forever.
Technology Through the Ages
Time periods such as The Bronze Age, The Industrial Era, and The Atomic Era were all results of some pivotal invention or discovery unique to the time period that changed how our species was able to live and prosper. The Information Era, as we know and call it today, would not have been possible without the invention of the silicon microchip and micro-processor, as they are the main components in modern computers. There would be no email, no digital records, no transponder car keys… we wouldn’t even have debit cards! It is difficult to imagine what the world would be like without these everyday technologies which barely have 50 years to their credit.
Now a days, with all the money that governments and private enterprise corporations can muster being pumped into research and development projects in countries all across the globe, it is understandable why many futurists continue to wait and wonder what and when the next break through will be. We have proven that there is not much left on the macroscopic level that humans cannot understand or manipulate using science or math, and that is what has led many to the conclusion that our next leap forward will come from discoveries made in the microscopic realm.
Enter the J. Craig Venter Institute In 2006, several affiliated organizations made the decision to merge into one company. The Institute for Genomic Research, The Center for the Advancement of Genomics, The J. Craig Venter Science Foundation, The Joint Technology Center, and the Institute for Biological Energy Alternatives all joined together to form what is now known as the J. Craig Venter Institute. Now with their combined resources, they utilize more than 250,000 square feet of laboratory space in both Rockville, Maryland and San Diego, California. With over 300 scientists employed who are dedicated to studying the various fields of genomic research; JCVI has quickly become a world leader in their field. (“About The J. Craig Venter Institute”, n.d.)
Dr. Venter, founder and CEO of the company, is regarded as one of the leading scientists of the 21st century for his numerous invaluable contributions to genomic research. He founded Celera Genomics in 1998 to begin sequencing the human genome using new tools and methods that he and his team had developed themselves. Ever since JCVI formed, Dr. Venter and his team have sequenced hundreds of different genomes of species ranging from bacteria to humans. It is Venter and his team who are credited for the groundbreaking research into creating the first self-replicating synthetic bacterial cell. (“Biographies, J. Craig Venter Ph. D.”, n.d.) This important and cutting edge research could be a crucial first step towards the next leap in humanity’s ability to shape the world around us, and the J. Craig Venter Institute is the driving force behind these discoveries.

A Synthetic Bacterial What Now? In order for a cell to function, it requires DNA to give it specific instructions on how to develop and eventually replicate. This is normally accomplished in nature through either sexual or asexual reproduction, with genetic information being passed on to the next generation. Dr. Venter’s research aimed to set out and prove that it is indeed possible to create a synthetic genome in a lab and then implant it into a blank cell to create a synthetic self-replicating cell.
Dr. Venter explains the process of how his team accomplished this feat in a statement he made to CNN.com during an interview, “We announced the first cell that is totally controlled by a synthetic chromosome that we designed in a computer, based on an existing chromosome… We built it from four bottles of chemicals. That's over a million base pairs [of chromosomes]. We assembled that and transplanted it into a recipient cell and that new chromosome started being read by the machinery in the cell, producing new proteins, and totally transformed that cell into a new species coded by the synthetic chromosome. It's the first living self-replicating cell that we have on the planet whose DNA was made chemically and designed in the computer. It has no genetic ancestors. Its parent is a computer.” (“Scientist: We didn’t create life from scratch”, 2010).
Just to clarify, JCVI did not create life from scratch. Rather, the DNA was designed on a computer program and then the genetic material itself was chemically synthesized. The synthetic genome DNA was transcribed into messenger RNA, which was translated into new proteins by the blank Mycoplasma capricolum recipient cells. After two days, the synthetic genome had taken hold within the cells and replication started to occur (“First Self-Replicating Synthetic Bacterial Cell”, 2010). The recipient cells were not created from scratch so therefore, Venter and his team cannot say they created life from scratch, but they came about as close to doing so as you possibly can.
Synthetic Life in the Spotlight There are a multitude of reports on this study but three in particular stood out to me, and each one of them were for different reasons. Rachel Swaby’s article on Wired.com was the first on this study that I saw. She did not appear to get a one on one interview with any of the scientists since all her quotes came from second hand sources like podcasts and the magazine Science. Her article is more like a quick flirtation with the headline rather than a full and in-depth accounting of the study. Admittedly, her article was not used as much as the other two for source information because of how barebones it was. All I really got from her article that stood out was a difficulty that arose during the experiment. She cites a quote from some person named Gibson. I say “some person” because the identity of Gibson is never identified in the article. Gibson said, “We had to deal with the fact that M. genitalium had an extremely slow growth rate. For every experiment that was done, it took more than a month to get results.” (Swaby, 2010) It is strange that Swaby made no mention of who this Gibson was in her article but used the quote like we as readers were supposed to know who Gibson was. She does at least succeed in informing the reader that it was the Venter Institute who discovered how to create a synthetic cell and also reports how they did so but fails to establish why and what it could mean for the future. New Scientist’s article by Ewen Callaway did a far better job at answering questions about this study’s social implications. Just like with Rachel Swaby’s article, Callaway did not appear to have a solid interview with any of the scientists involved either. What made this article superior to the first is how it was organized. Even though he only had second hand sources converted into his own words, Callaway took the time to thoughtfully organize his information into a questionnaire style of article, making it more engaging for the reader as well as helping to answer questions they might have on the study. Callaway manages sum up the results of the study with, “What did Venter's team do? The cell was created by stitching together the genome of a goat pathogen called Mycoplasma mycoides from smaller stretches of DNA synthesized in the lab, and inserting the genome into the empty cytoplasm of a related bacterium. The transplanted genome booted up in its host cell, and then divided over and over to make billions of M. mycoides cells.” (Callaway, 2010). He also answers a crucial question that neither of my other two source articles bothered to ask - how much did it cost to create life? Callaway states, “About $40 million. That’s cheap for a deity, but expensive if you are a lab scientist looking to create your own synthetic bacterium.” (Callaway, 2010).
That’s a crucial piece of information because of the negatives a study like this could bring to the table. Think of what could happen if the wrong people got a hold of this research. In theory, one could create a brand new biological weapon in the form of a weaponized synthetic bacteria or worse. Despite all the potential benefit that could come from this study, one cannot ignore the possibility of a bad situation arising from what may have started with good intentions. Callaway alleviates those fears in his article by quoting Andy Ellington, a synthetic biologist at the University of Texas in Austin, “Ellington brushes aside those concerns, noting that the difficulty of engineering cells is beyond the scope of all would-be bioterrorists. "It's not a real threat," he says. "Unless you are Craig Venter with a crew of 20 postdocs you're not going to do this." (Callaway, 2010).
So what does this discovery mean for the average person? CNN.com asked Venter himself about it and he explained how helpful synthetic cells could be. “We can create new food substances. ... We can create new ways to create clean water. We are already going to create new vaccines to treat diseases that emerge each year like the flu, so it's a new tool for scientists to work with.” (“Scientist: We didn’t create life from scratch”, 2010). CNN’s article was the most thorough in covering all the bases in terms of questions asked. As an added bonus, it is a direct first hand interview with Venter himself, but there was no author listed for the article, nor was there a name listed for the interviewer. A curious oversight but never the less, CNN manages to ask the right questions to give a clear report of JCVI’s accomplishment.
All three articles have their strengths and weaknesses, but they all do manage to accurately report on the study completely bias free. There was never any belief from the journalists that this research was wrong and that it shouldn’t continue. The general feelings they all seemed to share were of optimism and scientific curiosity, and neither of them tried to taint the public opinion of this study in any way by misreporting it or adding their own opinions.
A New Era
As mentioned above, it is my belief that the success of this study will act as the catalyst for a whole multitude of microscopic biological research. Venter says, “As soon as next year, the flu vaccine you get could be made synthetically.” (Callaway, 2010). Vaccines are just the beginning. Imagine if they manage to create organs from these man-made cells, or even fully grown replacement body parts. Ten years ago people might think you watch too many sci-fi shows, and one hundred years ago they would think you are a lunatic.
We are all familiar with oil and that it is a crucial resource on our planet due to the high demand for energy across the globe. The price per gallon of oil will tell you right away how high the energy demand is. JCVI’s study could assist with the problem by providing us with alternate energy. “It's for others to describe. It's a big deal for us. We’ve been working on it for 15 years. It gives us tools to work with that haven't existed before. And we have some huge challenges. We need new tools in science. Allowing us to create, for example, new organisms that can more efficiently capture C02 and convert it into fuel so we can get weaned off of oil.” (“Scientist: We didn’t create life from scratch”, 2010).
This is the era we now live in, this “Micro-era” of sorts; a time when people can essentially play god and create life to suit our needs. This study is just the beginning in terms of what kind of potential this type of research has to offer. I see it as a proposal in the broadest of definitions, as it does not try to sell anything or “pitch” it to anyone. The study sets out only to prove that it is indeed possible to accomplish the creation of a synthetic cell and use it for positive applications in either medicine or everyday life. It does not argue one point of view or the other but instead presents the facts as they occurred during the experiments with no bias. The main feeling I got from JCVI’s press release along with the three articles I found reporting on it was that of hope for the future. They all genuinely believe that this research is extremely beneficial to us.

References
Callaway, E. (2010, May 20) Immaculate creation: birth of the first synthetic cell.
New Scientist. Retrieved from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18942-immaculate-creation-birth-of-the-first-synthetic-cell.html#.Um3eMfmshca
CNN Reports (2010, May 21). CNN Health
Scientist: ‘We didn’t create life from scratch’. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/21/venter.qa/
J. Craig Venter Institute (n.d.).
About The J. Craig Venter Institute. Retrieved from http://www.jcvi.org/cms/about/overview/.
J. Craig Venter Institute (n.d.).
Biographies, J. Craig Venter Ph. D. Retrieved from http://www.jcvi.org/cms/about/bios/jcventer/
J. Craig Venter Institute (2010, May 10)
First Self-Replicating Synthetic Bacterial Cell. Retrieved from http://www.jcvi.org/cms/press/press-releases/full-text/article/first-self-replicating-synthetic-bacterial-cell-constructed-by-j-craig-venter-institute-researcher/
Swaby, R. (2010, May 20). Scientists Create First Self-Replicating Synthetic Life.
Wired. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/05/scientists-create-first-self-replicating-synthetic-life/