Dr Craig Venter

“In 2003, when we made the first synthetic virus, it underwent extensive ethical review that went all the way up to the level of the White House.”

“And there have been extensive reviews including from the National Academy of Sciences, which has done a comprehensive report on this new field.”

“He and his colleagues are already collaborating with pharmaceutical and fuel companies to design and develop chromosomes for bacteria that would produce useful fuels or even new vaccines.”

“They say they hope eventually to "build" bacteria that absorb carbon dioxide and therefore help repair damage to the environment.”