The world is one step closer to a new synthetic organism.
Scientists have created five
synthetic yeast chromosomes and placed them inside yeast cells. The chromosomes are composed of the normal letters, or base pairs, that make up DNA, but the sequence is slightly different from those found naturally in yeast.
The new chromosomes could help answer basic science questions, such as what is the purpose of portions of DNA that don't code for genes; they could also be useful for producing drugs like cancer antibodies on a massive scale, said study co-author Joel Bader, a bioinformatics professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. https://www.livescience.com/58193-five-synthetic-yeast-chromosomes-created.html
