Scientists have crafted a bacterium incapable of surviving without human assistance. Using this strategy to build genetically modified organisms would prevent those GMOs from escaping into natural ecosystems, they say. Think of it as the ultimate version of domesticating a wild creature – the organism’s dependence on humankind is written into its very genes. Without a chemical available only in the lab, the engineered E. coli will die.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 23:30:00 +0000