this one is to inspire Dre

And he says his designer microbe could have a revolutionary impact on healthcare, ushering in new treatments and drugs.

The £30million research programme, lasting 15 years, manufactured artificial DNA, inserted it in a bacterial cell and watched it reproduce itself.

Dr Craig Venter, who heads his selfnamed research institute in Maryland, believes the work will have applications from synthesising fuel to protecting the environment. Some scientists have hailed the research, published in the journal Science, as a defining moment in biology.

But one independent genetics watchdog has condemned the research and called for a stop to synthetic biology.

David King of Human Genetics Alert said. "This is simply large-scale chemistry and genetic engineering. The hype is typical of how biotechnology companies try to boost their share prices. It is typical ‘greenwash’ marketing"

But Dr Mark Downs of charity the Society of Biology said: "This is a landmark in biological research which has the potential to bring new business opportunities