Scientists at the University of Nottingham are trying to create a "reprogrammable cell" that can act as a cellular equivalent to a computer's operating system.
The project, if successful, would mark a huge leap forward for synthetic biology as a field. Scientists could easily and quickly program cells to perform all kinds of tasks as well as create wholly new forms of life not found in nature customized for various uses. That’s another way of saying the “operating system” would allow for rapid prototyping of life forms, saving the time and energy currently consumed by returning to the drawing board each time researchers need a cell with a new function.
Oh, what could
possibly go wrong?
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