@60minutes: "This is the first synthetic species,” microbiologist J. Craig Venter told 60 Minutes’ Steve Kroft in 2010. His team of scientists created a synthetic bacteria designed on a computer, with man-made DNA. Venter says that from concept to completion, it took 15 years and $40 million to make. Venter, who died this week at 79, was one of the most famous scientists in the world, known for his pioneering work in deciphering the human genetic code. #biology #microbiology