Researchers from J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) and Synthetic Genomics, Inc.have designed and synthesized a minimal bacterial genome, containing only the genes necessary for life, and consisting of just 473 genes.They have built and booted up the first self-replicating, synthetic bacterial cell, providing proof of principle that genomes can be designed in the computer, chemically made in the lab, and transplanted into a recipient cell to produce a new, self-replicating cell controlled only by the synthetic genome.