The Washington Post's Rick Weiss surveys the field of synthetic biology as researchers prepare to cross a dramatic barrier: the creation of life forms driven by completely artificial DNA. Fifty years ago, researchers began stitching ordinary chemical ingredients together in test tubes to make life's most extraordinary molecule. In the coming year, they hope to transplant it into a cell, where it is expected to "boot itself up" like software downloaded from the Internet, then cajole the cell to do its bidding. Weiss's peice includes expert analysis from SynBERCers Paul Rabinow, Drew Endy, Tom Knight, and Jay Keasling.
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