Operating, Generating, New Life.

"'This raises a range of big questions about what nature is and what it could be...Evolutionary processes are no longer seen as sacred or inviolable. People in labs are figuring them out so they can improve upon them for different purposes.'" A front-page story in today's WP announces we're on the threshold of completely synthetic life -- as in 2008 -- made from enhanced or even artificial DNA. "Some experts are worried that a few maverick companies are already gaining monopoly control over the core 'operating system' for artificial life and are poised to become the Microsofts of synthetic biology...In the past year, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has been flooded with aggressive synthetic-biology claims."