http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/science/05/20/scientists.organism.ft/index.html
If you don't want to read the full article, I'll summarize:
Scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute designed from scratch on a computer a complete custom genome, built that genome using chemical processes, then inserted it into a bacteria cell that had its DNA removed. The synthetic DNA took over the cell's functions and actually began to replicate on its own, meaning a completely new life form that did not evolve naturally in any way now exists on Earth.
Man-made life is real, folks; you may commence with the requisite ethical, moral and theological debates at your leisure.

DUN DUN DUNNNN
Or am I too early?

While I find this tremendously interesting, I'm horrified at the possible implications. Do they know enough about exactly which genes do what to make sure that they don't create a superbacteria by mistake or by random mutation? Natural genes have all sort of failsafes built in, such as genes whose job it is to check, and if necessary correct, the sequence of other genes. There are long sequences of DNA that don't actually do anything, but ensure that a mutation is more likely to occur in one of the "nonsense" sequences than in an important gene.
Also, the fact that this is now known to be possible will be a trigger for a lot of new research, not all of it well intended and not all of it well monitored.

Oh, shit. There goes the planet.

My thoughts exactly.
I'll prepare by booting up SC2 and playing some matches vs. Zerg.
Oh, and I think we found a new definition for intelligent design.

Playing Osmos might give us some insight into the enemy's tactics.
Intelligent Design needed a new definition. The old one was a joke.

I don't remember ever having read about dna-failsafes. To my knowledge mutations affect randomly but if the mutation is "harmfull" the organims doesn't survive. Int the long run ofcourse. The mutation can survive couple of generations. And let's drop human from this cause modern medicine and ethics have rendered natural sekection in humans to all time low. Sexual selection on the other hand...
This experiment is intriguing in so many levels. I don't think it will be plausible to build a superhuman. Only new thing was that the dna was synthesized. It was carboncopy of of normal bacteria. With the exception of some color adding genes. That is something that has been done before.
Now starts the trial&error phase. At least thats what it sounds to mere mortal like myself. When the scientist try to do something "usefull" with this. Like glowing pigs or some other usefull application...
And to those who fear them making uberbackeria: We have done some. By accident ofcourse. If we hadn't then penicilin and other stuff would work still. MRSA anyone? And thats just evolution.
For that I would like rate this post over 9000

I, for one, welcome the inevitable embrace of The Many.

But that's just it exactly. It's random. Meaning it is equally likely to hit any spot on a chromosome. But if 90 percent of the genetic information on a chromosome is meaningless gibberish that doesn't do anything and is never activated, then the chance of a random mutation hitting something important is only 10 percent.
In an artificially sequenced chromosome without all this "filler DNA", the chance of a random mutation hitting something important is much closer to 100 percent.

/\
This. Just yesterday, I was raging about general public opinion that 'tis evil!' and I see it in a few opinions in here as well! It's an inevitable step in genetics research, that will sooner or later lead to a lots of good me says.

Finally the first step has been made to building replicants...put me down for a Daryl Hannah model please.
Make that two.

There are bad things that can happen but i think some really amazing things could be done and not just in the field of medicine.

And thus our status as a dominant species is over. Long live NanoVirus-ez!

The "not just field of medicine" part is the worrying one, in the long run. Military projects are the ones that really push innovation (and where the funds are). But then, this is a long long way off from being "useful".