Next, J. Craig Venter Invents Nanoparticles to Float Barely Above Earth

Science entrepreneur J. Craig Venter announced yesterday that he had successfully transferred genetic material from one microscopic one-celled organism to another. As the New York Times reports:

His goal is to make cells that might take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and produce methane, used as a feedstock for other fuels. Such an achievement might reduce dependency on fossil fuels and strike a blow at global warming.

Er, hm. I like scientific research and all, and reading about new accomplishments is dandy. But the thing is, we already have cells that take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, and cells that produce methane. They do so efficiently and in operations that are largely self-sustaining. These cells currently exist in collections we call “plants” and “cows.”