The radical possibilities of man-made DNA | Floyd E. Romesberg

Six-letter DNA with man-made X and Y added to the molecules of life? What's the motivation here - new proteins and protein drugs that are hard to make from amino acids. Synthetic chemists are making new provocative ones, with new amino acids with things attached to them . . . Are U following this?
X and Y are fully-functioning synthetic organisms  . . .

Published on Dec 17, 2018

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Every cell that's ever lived has been the result of the four-letter genetic alphabet: A, T, C and G -- the basic units of DNA. But now that's changed. In a visionary talk, synthetic biologist Floyd E. Romesberg introduces us to the first living organisms created with six-letter DNA -- the four natural letters plus two new man-made ones, X and Y -- and explores how this breakthrough could challenge our basic understanding of nature's design.