Scientists can build a working chromosome from scratch. What they still can’t do is join DNA segments from different species into one functioning whole.
🏛️ Must Know
Which Synthetic Biology Claim Is Actually Wrong
- Not Cross-Species Chromosomes Scientists cannot yet create fully functional chromosomes this way. Simply joining DNA segments from cells of different species doesn’t work.
- Artificial DNA Is Real Pieces of artificial functional DNA genuinely can be created in laboratories, unlike the chromosome claim.
- Lab Replication Is Real A piece of DNA from an animal cell genuinely can be made to replicate outside a living cell. Techniques like PCR make this possible.
- Correct Answer The chromosome-joining claim is the one that is NOT correct.
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What Synthetic Biology Has Actually Achieved
- Synthia, the Synthetic Bacterium In 2010, Craig Venter’s team created a bacterium with a fully synthetic genome, nicknamed Synthia. It was still built from one species’s own genetic code.
- PCR Replicates DNA in Vitro The Polymerase Chain Reaction is a standard lab technique that amplifies specific DNA segments outside a living cell.
- Cell Culture Enables Division Cells taken from plants and animals genuinely can be grown and made to divide in laboratory petri dishes using artificial nutrient media.
📝 Previous Year Questions
UPSC CSP 2019 — What’s Not Yet Possible in Synthetic Biology
- UPSC 2019 Creating functional chromosomes by joining DNA segments from different species is NOT yet possible, unlike lab-created artificial DNA, in-vitro DNA replication, and lab cell division. See UPSC CSP 2019 GS Paper I, Q93. View this question.
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Why the Species Barrier Still Matters
- Genomes Are Highly Integrated A chromosome’s genes and regulatory sequences work together as a coordinated system. That’s why simply splicing DNA from different species doesn’t yield a working whole.
- Synthetic Biology Still Advances Researchers instead build synthetic genomes within a single species, or add small engineered segments, rather than merging entire genomes across species.
- Connects to Other PYQ Facts This same lab-DNA-manipulation theme also underlies UPSC questions on CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing.
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