J. Craig Venter: He might change the world

J. Craig Venter, the biologist who mapped the human genome, now reportedly wants to create a microbe that will turn cornstalks into ethanol.

Venter, who compares himself favorably with Charles Darwin, has teamed with Mexican billionaire Alfonso Romo Garza in the undertaking. "Of course, he's antagonistic," Garza told The Washington Post. "But I love controversial people because those are the people who change the world."

Using $15 million he received from Garza, Venter has formed Synthetic Genomics Inc. in Rockville, Md., home of the Venter Institute and the Institute for Genomic Research, both of which have received U.S. Energy Department grants to explore using genomics for energy purposes.

Venter also seeks to modify microorganisms to continuously produce hydrogen, the Post said.

Also joining Venter in the new business are Hamilton O. Smith, winner of a Nobel Prize for physiology and medicine and an expert in DNA manipulation techniques, and Aristides Patrinos, who directed the U.S. Energy Department's biological and environmental research.

Venter predicts "Genomics is going to do for the energy and chemical field what it did in the early 1990s for medical biotechnology."

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

Citation: J. Craig Venter: He might change the world (2006, February 27) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2006-02-craig-venter-world.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

The shape of dogs' heads affects their sleep, according to study

0 shares

Feedback to editors