10 Ideas to Change the World

Scientific American reveals 10 novelties of 2012 intended to change (or even save) the world as we know it.

Artificial DNA substitute, injectable oxygen microbubbles that restore breathing, water purifying oil and sugar-powered pacemakers are just a few of the things scientists have recently made up to make our life easier.

For how I see things, the alternative to DNA appears to be the most controversial of the list of innovations both on the medical and ethical level (also the first one listed by Scientific American).

According to scientists, the DNA is now an “unfashionable” organism basis. Laboratory conceived creatures that don't have to rely on DNA is what would really bring a scent of novelty in the scientific world.

“Life is inconceivable without a system for genetic information storage and replication, but DNA and RNA are not unique,” declares Philipp Holliger, professor at the Molecular Biology Laboratory of the Medical Research Council in Cambridge.

According to him, organisms' dependence on DNA and RNA is but an “accident from the origin of life.” Nature did it. Couldn't we do better?