The success of scientists in the US in developing the first living cell to be controlled entirely by synthetic DNA has led to a call for a ban on the research.
The scientists constructed a bacterium's "genetic software" and transplanted it into a host cell.
The resulting microbe then looked and behaved like the species "dictated" by the synthetic DNA.
Experts agree that the technology could radically change the world but some are objecting to its use on safety and ethical grounds.
Pallab Ghosh reports.
READ MORE: Scientists make 'artificial life'