TED in the Field
Craig Venter: Watch me unveil "synthetic life"
克雷格.文特尔揭开“人造生命”的面纱
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克雷格.文特尔及其团队宣布了一个划时代的进步：他们创造出第一个由合成DNA控制，能自行复制，功能完善的细胞。在此他告诉我们计划的进展，由此宣告一个新科技时代的来临。
Craig Venter - Biologist, genetics pioneer
In 2001, Craig Venter made headlines for sequencing the human genome. In 2003, he started mapping the ocean's biodiversity. And now he's created the first synthetic lifeforms -- microorganisms that can produce alternative fuels. Full bio
In 2001, Craig Venter made headlines for sequencing the human genome. In 2003, he started mapping the ocean's biodiversity. And now he's created the first synthetic lifeforms -- microorganisms that can produce alternative fuels. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:16
We're here today to announce
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今天我们在此宣布，
00:18
the first synthetic cell,
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第一个人造细胞的诞生。
00:21
a cell made by
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这个细胞的诞生
00:23
starting with the digital code in the computer,
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开始于计算机上的数字代码
00:26
building the chromosome
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建造染色体
00:29
from four bottles of chemicals,
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利用了四瓶化学药剂
00:32
assembling that chromosome in yeast,
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将那些染色体集中在酵母菌中
00:34
transplanting it into
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将其转化成为一个
00:37
a recipient bacterial cell
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受体细菌细胞
00:39
and transforming that cell
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然后将这个细胞转化成
00:41
into a new bacterial species.
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一个新的细菌物种。
00:44
So this is the first self-replicating species
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所以这是在地球上，我们所知的
00:47
that we've had on the planet
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母体是一台计算机的
00:49
whose parent is a computer.
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第一个实现自我复制的物种。
00:52
It also is the first species
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同时，它也是第一个
00:54
to have its own website
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拥有通过自己的遗传密码
00:56
encoded in its genetic code.
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所编码的网站的物种。
00:59
But we'll talk more about
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一会儿我们将更多地
01:01
the watermarks in a minute.
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讨论水印。
01:04
This is a project that had its inception
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这个计划最初起源于
01:06
15 years ago
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15年前
01:08
when our team then --
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那时我们的团队
01:10
we called the institute TIGR --
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叫做 TIGR 研究所
01:12
was involved in sequencing
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我们参加了历史上最早的
01:14
the first two genomes in history.
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对成对染色体的测序。
01:16
We did Haemophilus influenzae
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我们对Haemophilus流行感冒病毒做实验
01:18
and then the smallest genome of a self-replicating organism,
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然后是自我复制组织的最小的染色体，
01:21
that of Mycoplasma genitalium.
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这些染色体来自生殖支原体
01:24
And as soon as
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一旦
01:26
we had these two sequences
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我们得到了这些成对的序列，
01:28
we thought, if this is supposed to be the smallest genome
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我们想到，这是否是自我复制物种中
01:31
of a self-replicating species,
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最小的染色体，
01:33
could there be even a smaller genome?
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是否还有更小的染色体？
01:35
Could we understand the basis of cellular life
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我们是否能够在基因层次上
01:38
at the genetic level?
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理解细胞生物的根本？
01:40
It's been a 15-year quest
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经过15年的探索
01:42
just to get to the starting point now
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现在才达到了问题的出发点
01:44
to be able to answer those questions,
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才有可能回答那些问题
01:47
because it's very difficult to eliminate
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因为要将多个基因从细胞中去除
01:49
multiple genes from a cell.
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是非常困难的
01:51
You can only do them one at a time.
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你一次只能去除一个
01:54
We decided early on
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早先我们决定
01:56
that we had to take a synthetic route,
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我们必须采取人工合成的手段
01:58
even though nobody had been there before,
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尽管之前没有人达到这个领域
02:00
to see if we could synthesize
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看看我们是否能够人造
02:02
a bacterial chromosome
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一个细菌的染色体
02:04
so we could actually vary the gene content
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所以事实上我们能够分辨基因的内容
02:06
to understand the essential genes for life.
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去了解那些对于生命来说最基本的基因。
02:09
That started our 15-year quest
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这样，我们就开始了15年的探索
02:12
to get here.
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得到了现在的成果。
02:14
But before we did the first experiments,
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在我们做第一次实验之前
02:16
we actually asked
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事实上我们邀请了
02:19
Art Caplan's team at the University of Pennsylvania
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宾夕法尼亚大学的Art Caplan的团队
02:22
to undertake a review
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来做一个评估
02:24
of what the risks, the challenges,
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对于在实验室创造一个新物种的
02:27
the ethics around creating new
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风险，挑战，
02:29
species in the laboratory were
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以及道德问题
02:31
because it hadn't been done before.
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因为在这之前没有人这样做过
02:33
They spent about two years
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他们花了大约两年
02:35
reviewing that independently
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独立的评估
02:37
and published their results in Science in 1999.
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在1999年在Science杂志上发表了他们的结果。
02:40
Ham and I took two years off
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Ham和我中断了两年的工作
02:42
as a side project to sequence the human genome,
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去完成一个人类基因组测序工程的一个分支项目
02:44
but as soon as that was done
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当我们完成那个工作之后
02:46
we got back to the task at hand.
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我们又立刻回到了这个计划之中。
02:50
In 2002, we started
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2002年，我们创立了
02:52
a new institute,
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一个新的研究所
02:54
the Institute for Biological Energy Alternatives,
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一个生物替代能源的研究所
02:57
where we set out two goals:
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我们为此设立了两个目标
02:59
One, to understand
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第一，研究
03:01
the impact of our technology on the environment,
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我们的科技对环境造成的冲击
03:04
and how to understand the environment better,
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以及如何更好地了解我们环境
03:06
and two, to start down this process
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第二，开始这项
03:08
of making synthetic life
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制造人造生命的计划
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to understand basic life.
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去理解生命的本源。
03:14
In 2003,
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在2003年
03:16
we published our first success.
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我们发表了我们最初的成果
03:18
So Ham Smith and Clyde Hutchison
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Ham Smith 和 Clyde Hutchison
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developed some new methods
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开发了一些新的方法
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for making error-free DNA
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在小尺度上
03:25
at a small level.
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制造没有错误代码的DNA
03:27
Our first task was
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我们的第一个任务是
03:29
a 5,000-letter code bacteriophage,
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一个含有5000个密码子的抗菌素代码
03:32
a virus that attacks only E. coli.
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一种专门攻击大肠杆菌的病毒
03:36
So that was
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这就是
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the phage phi X 174,
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φX174 噬菌体
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which was chosen for historical reasons.
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由于历史原因我们选择了它。
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It was the first DNA phage,
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它是第一个DNA噬菌体
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DNA virus, DNA genome
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DNA病毒，DNA染色体
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that was actually sequenced.
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这些都已经经过了测序
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So once we realized
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当我们意识到
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that we could make 5,000-base pair
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我们能够制造5000对长度
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viral-sized pieces,
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病毒尺寸的片段
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we thought, we at least have the means
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我们认为，我们至少有这样的方法
03:59
then to try and make serially lots of these pieces
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然后尝试制造一系列连续的片段
04:02
to be able to eventually assemble them together
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最终将其连接在一起
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to make this mega base chromosome.
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来制造这个百万对长度的染色体。
04:09
So, substantially larger than
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实质上要比
04:11
we even thought we would go initially.
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我们开始认为所能达到的长度要长
04:15
There were several steps to this. There were two sides:
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需要很多步骤我们才能达到这一步。这有两方面的问题
04:18
We had to solve the chemistry
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首先我们需要解决制造
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for making large DNA molecules,
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大DNA分子中的化学问题
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and we had to solve the biological side
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另外我们还需解决生物学方面的问题
04:24
of how, if we had this new chemical entity,
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那就是如果我们有了这些新的化学成分
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how would we boot it up, activate it
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我们如何启动它，激活它
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in a recipient cell.
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在受体细胞中
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We had two teams working in parallel:
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我们有两个小组同时进行工作
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one team on the chemistry,
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一个小组是化学方面的
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and the other on trying to
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另一个小组尝试
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be able to transplant
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移植
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entire chromosomes
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整个染色体
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to get new cells.
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到新的细胞
04:47
When we started this out, we thought the synthesis would be the biggest problem,
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当我们开始工作时，我们认为合成是最大的问题
04:50
which is why we chose the smallest genome.
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这就是为什么我们选择了最小的染色体
04:53
And some of you have noticed that we switched from the smallest genome
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可能你们当中的一些人已经发现我们放弃了最小的染色体
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to a much larger one.
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转而把目标放在了更大的染色体上
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And we can walk through the reasons for that,
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我们需要解释一下这样做的原因
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but basically the small cell
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基本上，小的细胞
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took on the order of
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需要
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one to two months to get results from,
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一到两个月的时间才能得到结果
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whereas the larger, faster-growing cell
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然后体积更大的，生长更迅速的细胞
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takes only two days.
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只需要两天
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So there's only so many cycles we could go through
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所以一年之内我们只能获得很少的几个周期
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in a year at six weeks per cycle.
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对于六周为一个周期来说
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And you should know that basically
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你需要知道，基本上
05:20
99, probably 99 percent plus
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百分之99，甚至更多的
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of our experiments failed.
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实验都失败了
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So this was a debugging,
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所以这更像是在调试
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problem-solving scenario from the beginning
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从最初的阶段开始解决问题
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because there was no recipe
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因为我们没有任何可以参照的方法
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of how to get there.
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关于如何达到目标
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So, one of the most important publications we had
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我们所发表的最重要的工作之一
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was in 2007.
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是在2007年
05:39
Carole Lartigue led the effort
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由Carole Lartigue所领导的
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to actually transplant a bacterial chromosome
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移植一个细菌的染色体
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from one bacteria to another.
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从一个细菌体内到另一个
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I think philosophically, that was one of the most important papers
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我想，从哲学角度上来说，那是我们所完成的
05:50
that we've ever done
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最为重要的论文之一
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because it showed how dynamic life was.
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因为它展示了生命是如此有活力。
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And we knew, once that worked,
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我们知道，一旦这起作用了
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that we actually had a chance
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我们就事实上有了一个机会
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if we could make the synthetic chromosomes
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如果我们能够制造人造染色体
06:01
to do the same with those.
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对其进行同样的移植
06:04
We didn't know that it was going to take us
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我们最初还不知道这将花费我们
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several years more to get there.
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数年的时间去完成
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In 2008,
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在2008年
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we reported the complete synthesis
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我们公布了完整的人工合成
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of the Mycoplasma genitalium genome,
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类菌质体生殖基因组
06:15
a little over 500,000 letters of genetic code,
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略多于五十万对的密码子
06:19
but we have not yet succeeded in booting up that chromosome.
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但是我没还没有成功的启动这个染色体
06:22
We think in part, because of its slow growth
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我们认为其中一部分的原因是它生长太慢
06:26
and, in part,
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另外一部分
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cells have all kinds of unique defense mechanisms
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是由于细胞有各种各样的独特防御机制
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to keep these events from happening.
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来阻止这类事件的发生。
06:33
It turned out the cell that we were trying to transplant into
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最终证明，作为移植目标的细胞
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had a nuclease, an enzyme that chews up DNA on its surface,
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有一种核酸酶，一种在DNA表面消化它的酶
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and was happy to eat
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而且非常开心的吃着
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the synthetic DNA that we gave it
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我们给它的合成DNA
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and never got transplantations.
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所以从来没有移植成功
06:46
But at the time, that was the largest
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在当时，那是最大的
06:48
molecule of a defined structure
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有确定结构的分子
06:50
that had been made.
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人类所制造的。
06:52
And so both sides were progressing,
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所以两个方面都有了进展，
06:54
but part of the synthesis
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但是部分的合成工作
06:56
had to be accomplished or was able to be accomplished
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必须完成或者能够完成，
06:59
using yeast, putting the fragments in yeast
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通过使用酵母，将碎片放入酵母菌内
07:02
and yeast would assemble these for us.
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酵母菌将为我们标记这些碎片
07:04
It's an amazing step forward,
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这是一个让人惊喜的进步
07:07
but we had a problem because now we had
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但是我们还有一个问题，因为现在我们
07:09
the bacterial chromosomes growing in yeast.
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将细菌染色体在酵母体内培养
07:12
So in addition to doing the transplant,
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所以除了进行移植之外
07:15
we had to find out how to get a bacterial chromosome
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我们还需要解决如何的问题是如何将细菌染色体
07:17
out of the eukaryotic yeast
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从酵母菌内取出
07:19
into a form where we could transplant it
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以便我们能够将其移植
07:21
into a recipient cell.
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到受体细胞内
07:25
So our team developed new techniques
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于是我们的团队开发出了一种新的技术
07:28
for actually growing, cloning
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来培养和克隆
07:30
entire bacterial chromosomes in yeast.
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整个细菌染色体，在酵母菌内
07:32
So we took the same mycoides genome
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所以我们采用了与
07:35
that Carole had initially transplanted,
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Carole最初移植的相同的基因
07:37
and we grew that in yeast
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我们在酵母菌内培养它
07:39
as an artificial chromosome.
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把它当作为一个人造的染色体
07:42
And we thought this would be a great test bed
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我们认为这将是一个非常棒的实验基
07:44
for learning how to get chromosomes out of yeast
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来学习如何将染色体从酵母菌中取出
07:46
and transplant them.
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然后移植它们
07:48
When we did these experiments, though,
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当我们进行这些实验的时候，尽管
07:50
we could get the chromosome out of yeast
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我们能够将染色体从酵母菌内取出
07:52
but it wouldn't transplant and boot up a cell.
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但我们不能移植它去启动一个细胞。
07:56
That little issue took the team two years to solve.
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这个小问题花了研究小组两年的时间来解决。
07:59
It turns out, the DNA in the bacterial cell
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最终发现，细菌细胞内的DNA
08:02
was actually methylated,
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事实上是甲基化的
08:04
and the methylation protects it from the restriction enzyme,
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甲基化阻止限制性酶对细胞起作用，
08:08
from digesting the DNA.
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消化DNA。
08:11
So what we found is if we took the chromosome
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我们发现，如果我们将染色体
08:13
out of yeast and methylated it,
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从酵母菌内取出并且将其甲基化
08:15
we could then transplant it.
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我们就能移植它了
08:17
Further advances came
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我们又取得了更大的进步
08:19
when the team removed the restriction enzyme genes
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当研究小组将限制性酶的基因移除
08:22
from the recipient capricolum cell.
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从受体细胞内
08:25
And once we had done that, now we can take
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一旦我们完成了这些，我们就能
08:27
naked DNA out of yeast and transplant it.
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将裸露的DNA从酵母菌内取出并且移植它
08:30
So last fall
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所以，今年秋天
08:32
when we published the results of that work in Science,
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当我们在“科学”杂志上发表我们的成果时
08:35
we all became overconfident
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我们都变得过于自信了
08:37
and were sure we were only
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确定我们只有
08:39
a few weeks away
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几个星期
08:41
from being able to now boot up
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就能最终成功启动
08:43
a chromosome out of yeast.
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从酵母菌内取出的染色体
08:46
Because of the problems with
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因为
08:48
Mycoplasma genitalium and its slow growth
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类菌质体生殖问题以及它过慢的生长
08:51
about a year and a half ago,
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大约在一年半以前
08:54
we decided to synthesize
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我们决定合成
08:57
the much larger chromosome, the mycoides chromosome,
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更大的染色体，mycoides染色体
09:00
knowing that we had the biology worked out on that
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我们在生物学方面对
09:03
for transplantation.
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这样的移植做了足够的准备
09:05
And Dan led the team for the synthesis
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Dan领导的小组着手合成
09:07
of this over one-million-base pair chromosome.
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针对超过一百万对长度的染色体
09:12
But it turned out it wasn't going to be as simple in the end,
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最终证明这不是件简单的工作
09:15
and it set us back three months
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它将我们的工作又倒回到了三个月
09:17
because we had one error
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因为我们除了各小错误
09:19
out of over a million base pairs in that sequence.
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在这个超过一百万对的密码子的序列中
09:22
So the team developed new debugging software,
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所以研究小组开发了新的调试软件
09:25
where we could test each synthetic fragment
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通过它我们可以测试每一个合成碎片
09:28
to see if it would grow in a background
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来看看它是否能在
09:30
of wild type DNA.
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混乱的DNA环境中生长
09:33
And we found that 10 out of the 11
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我们发现
09:36
100,000-base pair pieces we synthesized
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我们合成的十万对长度的片段中有十一分之十的片断
09:39
were completely accurate
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都完全的准确
09:41
and compatible with
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相比于
09:43
a life-forming sequence.
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生命自然形成的序列
09:47
We narrowed it down to one fragment;
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我们把范围缩小到一个碎片
09:49
we sequenced it
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然后对其测序
09:51
and found just one base pair had been deleted
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发现仅仅只有一对密码子被删除
09:53
in an essential gene.
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在一段重要的基因中。
09:55
So accuracy is essential.
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这样的精确度是非常有意义的
09:58
There's parts of the genome
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基因的一些部分
10:00
where it cannot tolerate even a single error,
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不能忍受任何一个错误
10:03
and then there's parts of the genome
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然后也有一些部分
10:05
where we can put in large blocks of DNA,
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我们能够放入大片段的DNA障碍
10:07
as we did with the watermarks,
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如同我们对标记所做的一样
10:09
and it can tolerate all kinds of errors.
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它能承受各种错误
10:12
So it took about three months to find that error
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所以我们花了三个月找到那个错误
10:15
and repair it.
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然后修复它
10:17
And then early one morning, at 6 a.m.
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之后的某天早晨六点
10:20
we got a text from Dan
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我收到了Dan的信息
10:23
saying that, now, the first blue colonies existed.
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告诉我第一个蓝色殖民地诞生了
10:26
So, it's been a long route to get here:
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取得这个成果是一个漫长的过程
10:29
15 years from the beginning.
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从开始到现在15年
10:32
We felt
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我们感觉到
10:34
one of the tenets of this field
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这个领域的一条原则是
10:36
was to make absolutely certain
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必须十分的确定
10:39
we could distinguish synthetic DNA
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我们能够区分开人造DNA
10:42
from natural DNA.
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和自然DNA
10:44
Early on, when you're working in a new area of science,
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早先，当你在一个全新的科学领域展开工作时
10:47
you have to think about all the pitfalls
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你必须考虑到所有的陷阱
10:50
and things that could lead you
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以及可能误导你
10:52
to believe that you had done something when you hadn't,
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在没有获得成果时认为自己取得了成果，
10:55
and, even worse, leading others to believe it.
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甚至更糟，让别人也这样认为的事例。
10:58
So, we thought the worst problem would be
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所以我们认为最糟糕的问题是
11:00
a single molecule contamination
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原本染色体的
11:03
of the native chromosome,
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单分子污染物
11:05
leading us to believe that we actually had
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让我们相信我已经
11:08
created a synthetic cell,
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制造了一个合成细胞
11:10
when it would have been just a contaminant.
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然而它只是一个污染物。
11:12
So early on, we developed the notion
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于是，我们改进了我们的想法
11:14
of putting in watermarks in the DNA
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关于在DNA内放置标记
11:16
to absolutely make clear
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来确定
11:18
that the DNA was synthetic.
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DNA是否为合成的。
11:21
And the first chromosome we built
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在2008年，我们制造了第一个
11:24
in 2008 --
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染色体
11:26
the 500,000-base pair one --
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包含五十万对密码子
11:28
we simply assigned
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我们只是简单的将
11:31
the names of the authors of the chromosome
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制造着的名字
11:34
into the genetic code,
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写进了基因密码
11:37
but it was using just amino acid
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但是它被当作了氨基酸
11:39
single letter translations,
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单密码子的翻译
11:41
which leaves out certain letters of the alphabet.
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略去了字母表中固定的几个字母
11:45
So the team actually developed a new code
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所以研究小组开发了新的密码
11:48
within the code within the code.
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包含了密码当中的密码
11:51
So it's a new code
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这是一套新的密码
11:53
for interpreting and writing messages in DNA.
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来翻译和写入DNA中的信息
11:56
Now, mathematicians have been hiding and writing
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如今，数学家已经在基因密码内隐藏和写入信息
11:59
messages in the genetic code for a long time,
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的领域研究了很长时间
12:02
but it's clear they were mathematicians and not biologists
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但是他们只是数学家而不是生物学家
12:05
because, if you write long messages
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因为你写入长的信息
12:08
with the code that the mathematicians developed,
285
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利用数学家开发的密码
12:11
it would more than likely lead to
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它更有可能产生
12:13
new proteins being synthesized
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一个新的蛋白
12:16
with unknown functions.
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和未知属性。
12:19
So the code that Mike Montague and the team developed
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Mike Montague和他的研究小组开发的密码
12:22
actually puts frequent stop codons,
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事实上放入了很多停止符号
12:24
so it's a different alphabet
291
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这是一个不同的字母表
12:27
but allows us to use
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能够让我们使用
12:29
the entire English alphabet
293
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完整的英文字母表
12:32
with punctuation and numbers.
294
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以及符号和数字
12:34
So, there are four major watermarks
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有四个主要的标记
12:36
all over 1,000 base pairs of genetic code.
296
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在所有一千对基因密码中
12:39
The first one actually contains within it
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第一个实际上包含了它
12:42
this code for interpreting
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用来翻译
12:45
the rest of the genetic code.
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剩下基因密码的密码
12:49
So in the remaining information,
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所以在剩下的信息中
12:51
in the watermarks,
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在标记中
12:53
contain the names of, I think it's
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包含了
12:56
46 different authors
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46个作者
12:58
and key contributors
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以及做出关键贡献
13:00
to getting the project to this stage.
305
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把这个项目推动到今天的成果的人的名字
13:04
And we also built in
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我们还写入了一个
13:06
a website address
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网站的地址
13:09
so that if somebody decodes the code
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如果有人解码了这些
13:11
within the code within the code,
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包含在密码本身之内的密码
13:13
they can send an email to that address.
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他们就能发送电子邮件到那个地址
13:15
So it's clearly distinguishable
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这与其他物种
13:18
from any other species,
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有明显的区别
13:20
having 46 names in it,
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包含46个名字在其中
13:23
its own web address.
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以及它自己的网站地址
13:27
And we added three quotations,
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我们还加入了三句引言
13:30
because with the first genome
316
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因为在制造第一个基因时
13:32
we were criticized for not trying to say something more profound
317
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我们因为没有表达什么有含义的东西而遭到批评
13:35
than just signing the work.
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只是简单的记录了工作
13:37
So we won't give the rest of the code,
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我们不会给出剩下的密码
13:39
but we will give the three quotations.
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但是我们给出这三句引言
13:41
The first is,
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第一条是
13:43
"To live, to err,
322
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“活着就要犯错，
13:45
to fall, to triumph
323
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有失败也有成功，
13:47
and to recreate life out of life."
324
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从生命中创造出生命"
13:49
It's a James Joyce quote.
325
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这是James Joyce所说的
13:53
The second quotation is, "See things not as they are,
326
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第二条是“看待事物，不要看他们是什么
13:56
but as they might be."
327
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而要看他们可能成为什么“
13:58
It's a quote from the "American Prometheus"
328
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这是一句源自《美国普罗米修斯》中的话
14:01
book on Robert Oppenheimer.
329
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奥本海默的自传
14:03
And the last one is a Richard Feynman quote:
330
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最后一句是Richard Feynman的话
14:06
"What I cannot build,
331
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”我所不能制造的东西
14:08
I cannot understand."
332
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我都不能理解“
14:13
So, because this is as much a philosophical advance
333
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因为这在科学上是一个技术的进步
14:16
as a technical advance in science,
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同样也是一个哲学的进步
14:19
we tried to deal with both the philosophical
335
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我们尝试解决哲学
14:22
and the technical side.
336
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与技术两方面的问题
14:24
The last thing I want to say before turning it over to questions
337
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我想在开始提问之前说的最后一件事
14:26
is that the extensive work
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是我们所做的
14:29
that we've done --
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广泛的工作
14:31
asking for ethical review,
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征求伦理上的审核
14:33
pushing the envelope
341
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将问题推向了
14:35
on that side as well as the technical side --
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伦理方面而不仅仅是技术的层面
14:38
this has been broadly discussed in the scientific community,
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这在科学界得到了广泛的讨论
14:41
in the policy community
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在政治界
14:43
and at the highest levels of the federal government.
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以及在联邦政府的最高层也都有讨论
14:46
Even with this announcement,
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甚至关于这个声明
14:49
as we did in 2003 --
347
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我们在2003年所做的
14:51
that work was funded by the Department of Energy,
348
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这项工作是由能源部提供经费的
14:54
so the work was reviewed
349
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所以这项工作要经过
14:56
at the level of the White House,
350
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白宫的审核
14:58
trying to decide whether to classify the work or publish it.
351
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来决定如何将这项工作归类和公布
15:01
And they came down on the side of open publication,
352
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最终他们决定公开发布
15:04
which is the right approach --
353
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这是正确的途径
15:07
we've briefed the White House,
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我们对白宫做了简报
15:09
we've briefed members of Congress,
355
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对国会做了简报
15:12
we've tried to take and push
356
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我们尝试推动
15:14
the policy issues
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政治上政策
15:16
in parallel with the scientific advances.
358
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与科学上的进步同步
15:20
So with that, I would like
359
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那么，我
15:22
to open it first to the floor for questions.
360
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下面接受提问。
15:25
Yes, in the back.
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在后面的那位
15:27
Reporter: Could you explain, in layman's terms,
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记者：你能用通俗的语言解释一下
15:29
how significant a breakthrough this is please?
363
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这个突破到底有多大的意义
15:33
Craig Venter: Can we explain how significant this is?
364
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Craig Venter： 需要我们解释它的意义？
15:35
I'm not sure we're the ones that should be explaining how significant it is.
365
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我不确定我们能够解释它有多么重大的意义
15:38
It's significant to us.
366
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它对我们来说是很有意义的
15:41
Perhaps it's a giant philosophical change
367
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也许这是一个重大的哲学观念转变
15:44
in how we view life.
368
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关于我们如何看待生命这个问题上
15:46
We actually view it as a baby step in terms of,
369
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我们实际上认为这还只是第一步
15:49
it's taken us 15 years to be able
370
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我们花了15年才成功的
15:51
to do the experiment
371
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做了我们15年前想要做
15:53
we wanted to do 15 years ago
372
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的实验
15:55
on understanding life at its basic level.
373
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来理解生命最基本的层次
15:58
But we actually believe
374
943000
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但是我们相信
16:00
this is going to be a very powerful set of tools
375
945000
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这将成为一套非常强大的工具
16:04
and we're already starting
376
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而且我们已经开始
16:06
in numerous avenues
377
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在各个方面
16:08
to use this tool.
378
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利用这个工具
16:10
We have, at the Institute,
379
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我们在研究所
16:12
ongoing funding now from NIH
380
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现在有国立卫生研究所
16:15
in a program with Novartis
381
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在与Novartis一同进行一个项目
16:17
to try and use these new
382
962000
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尝试使用这些新的
16:19
synthetic DNA tools
383
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合成DNA工具
16:21
to perhaps make the flu vaccine
384
966000
3000
可能制造流感疫苗
16:24
that you might get next year.
385
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3000
明年你们就或许就能见到了。
16:27
Because instead of taking weeks to months to make these,
386
972000
3000
因为相比于之前花费数周甚至数月来制造这些
16:30
Dan's team can now make these
387
975000
3000
Dan的研究小组现在能够在
16:33
in less than 24 hours.
388
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3000
24小时之内制造出来
16:36
So when you see how long it took to get an H1N1 vaccine out,
389
981000
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所以当你们在看制造H1N1疫苗需要多长时间时
16:39
we think we can shorten that process
390
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我么想我们可以缩短这个过程
16:41
quite substantially.
391
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2000
这是相当有实际价值的
16:43
In the vaccine area,
392
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在疫苗领域
16:45
Synthetic Genomics and the Institute
393
990000
2000
合成基因公司以及研究所
16:47
are forming a new vaccine company
394
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将成立一个新的疫苗公司
16:49
because we think these tools can affect vaccines
395
994000
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因为我们认为这个工具将对疫苗很有作用
16:52
to diseases that haven't been possible to date,
396
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对于那些现在来说不可能治愈的疾病
16:55
things where the viruses rapidly evolve,
397
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那些病毒快速进化的疾病
16:58
such with rhinovirus.
398
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比如鼻病毒
17:00
Wouldn't it be nice to have something that actually blocked common colds?
399
1005000
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如果有药物将防治普通感冒会不会是件很好的事情？
17:03
Or, more importantly, HIV,
400
1008000
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或者更重要的，艾滋病毒
17:06
where the virus evolves so quickly
401
1011000
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这种病毒进化得如此之快
17:08
the vaccines that are made today
402
1013000
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今天制造的疫苗
17:10
can't keep up
403
1015000
2000
都赶不上
17:12
with those evolutionary changes.
404
1017000
3000
它们进化的速度
17:15
Also, at Synthetic Genomics,
405
1020000
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同样，在合成基因公司
17:17
we've been working
406
1022000
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我们一直在
17:19
on major environmental issues.
407
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环境问题上开展工作
17:21
I think this latest oil spill in the Gulf
408
1026000
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我认为最近的墨西哥湾漏油
17:23
is a reminder.
409
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2000
是一个警醒。
17:25
We can't see CO2 --
410
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我们看不到二氧化碳
17:27
we depend on scientific measurements for it
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我们依靠对其科学的测量
17:29
and we see the beginning results
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看到初步的结果
17:31
of having too much of it --
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二氧化碳过量了。
17:33
but we can see pre-CO2 now
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但是我们现在能看到二氧化碳的前身
17:35
floating on the waters
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漂浮在水面上
17:37
and contaminating the beaches in the Gulf.
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污染着墨西哥湾的海岸
17:40
We need some alternatives
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我们需要一些东西来
17:43
for oil.
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代替石油
17:45
We have a program with Exxon Mobile
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我们与艾森克美孚公司有一项合作计划
17:47
to try and develop new strains of algae
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尝试开发新的海藻品种
17:50
that can efficiently capture carbon dioxide
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能够有效地吸收二氧化碳
17:53
from the atmosphere or from concentrated sources,
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从大气和浓缩原料中
17:56
make new hydrocarbons that can go into their refineries
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制造新的碳氢化合物输送进入他们的精炼厂
17:59
to make normal gasoline
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制造汽油
18:01
and diesel fuel out of CO2.
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不制造二氧化碳的柴油机燃料
18:03
Those are just a couple of the approaches
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这只是我们考虑到的一些
18:05
and directions that we're taking.
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方面和途径
18:08
(Applause)
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掌声
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Craig Venter - Biologist, genetics pioneerIn 2001, Craig Venter made headlines for sequencing the human genome. In 2003, he started mapping the ocean's biodiversity. And now he's created the first synthetic lifeforms -- microorganisms that can produce alternative fuels.
Why you should listen
Craig Venter, the man who led the private effort to sequence the human genome, is hard at work now on even more potentially world-changing projects.
First, there's his mission aboard the Sorcerer II, a 92-foot yacht, which, in 2006, finished its voyage around the globe to sample, catalouge and decode the genes of the ocean's unknown microorganisms. Quite a task, when you consider that there are tens of millions of microbes in a single drop of sea water. Then there's the J. Craig Venter Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to researching genomics and exploring its societal implications.
In 2005, Venter founded Synthetic Genomics, a private company with a provocative mission: to engineer new life forms. Its goal is to design, synthesize and assemble synthetic microorganisms that will produce alternative fuels, such as ethanol or hydrogen. He was on Time magzine's 2007 list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.
In early 2008, scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute announced that they had manufactured the entire genome of a bacterium by painstakingly stitching together its chemical components. By sequencing a genome, scientists can begin to custom-design bootable organisms, creating biological robots that can produce from scratch chemicals humans can use, such as biofuel. And in 2010, they announced, they had created "synthetic life" -- DNA created digitally, inserted into a living bacterium, and remaining alive.
Craig Venter | Speaker | TED.com