Will scientists have synthesized a living organism for the first time by the end of this year? That's the breathtaking prediction by Craig Venter--a top-rank molecular biologist whose breathtaking predictions have a way of coming true.

Among the practical reasons for doing such a thing would be creating organisms that can make biofuels or clean up toxic wastes. Might there be other reasons, some of them scary? Stay tuned. Meantime, take a look at the 80Beats analysis.