Craig Venter, the force behind the private effort to complete the Human Genome Project, is again pushing the boundaries of science in unexpected ways. He has filed for a patent for Synthia, a group of genes that he thinks are essential for life. He thinks that if these genes are left alone they will evolve into viable life. As reliable as Venter, the ETC Group of Canada is leading calls against the patent. A google search returns little more information than this. Maybe public reactions to science are becoming predictable. Maybe new actors are needed to lead these debates, or get them going. If you hear anything else about this, please let me know.