I did not know you did biotech.  I thought you are an MD 'practicing' medicine on the rest of us.   

Please do keep on keeping on with bringing new biotech!  Its a wonderful way to 'mend a broken world.'

About the six going into the enviornment:

Yes, Seth, the evolutionary path on earth does seem to be restricted to the four bases in DNA (and a fifth in RNA that substitutes fro one of the four).  Even the extremeophiles that live in ocean water heated way above the boiling point, and in 8 or 10 atmospheres of pressure, with no oxygen, but rather sulfur, use the same four bases.  Finding these organisms that live in such extreme environments (solid ice, the edge of lava, etc.) and using something other than oxygen and sunlight for energy production, indicates that life may also exist in places like Titan. 

One of the things I would live to know is whether this life on places like titan use the same dna base parings Terrestrial life uses.  The coding will probably be different, but is it the same language? 

I for one welcome our new 6 base pair ecoli masters.  

backs out of the room slowly...   

The bacterium makes a desired product, it isn't being targeted (nor are any viruses).

The ability to create super lethal bacteria and viruses has existed for some time (bacteria 'created' by injudicious use of antibiotics).

The ability to synthesize DNA structure opens up new possibilities of 'made for purpose' pathogens, right?

Sure diseases could be engineered before, but isn't this the kind of breakthrough that makes , say, a virus that only kills those genetically pre-disposed towards religious extremism, even more attainable?

I'd leave religion out of it, simply because that isn't a proven genetic trait.

Sure, it's possible. It's also redundant...enough plagues are already stored at Ft. Detrick and other places around the world. No real need for more.

Frankly, ET never looked that appetising... and vice versa, let's hope we're not something they'd consider putting in their mouths.

That's the kind of thing that worries me... deadly contaminant stored in military facilities.  There have been combat fatigued veterans of the Iraq and Afgan wars going ballistic on military based with conventional weapons, so what is there to stop a similarly minded soldier from accessing those 'plague' materials and going on a similar, but more deadly rampage.  And the question would be: is the soldier to blame, or the government for storing such deadly compounds where they could be used?  For mine, it would be the government's fault, for stockpiling those weaponised nasties to begin with.... and thus it should all be incinerated, without question.

As for government not wanting to develop newer chemical/viral WMD's, believe me, if government could take something developed for medical reasons and weaponise it to kiill more effectively over larger areas than its present stockpile, as long as my arse points to the ground [while my feet are on it, that is] government is going to do it.

And for anyone who thinks I'm just being a conspiracy nut, blame Hollywood for that, what with all the movies covering such matters, but there are likely some precedents if one cared to look in the right places [and didn't get caught].

That's exactly it! In fact, 'military intelligence' is quite the misnomer.  Apart from a handful of brilliant military strategists in history, the remainder is quite inept and doesn't have a fechen clue, thus 1000's of conscripts die on the battlefields.  Modern history tells use that war is the most futile of mankind's endeavours... yet the idiot still goes out and declares war on somebody... or joins in on somebody else's conflict simply because a war is happening.

As for the morality of anything military, well that's another highly debatable point.  If one's military were purely for the defense of one's borders, something could be said regarding the greater good, blah, blah, blah.  However, most military bodies in recent history - army, navy, airforce - have been activated to go fight elsewhere, in other nations affairs, and most often it is not genuine assistance of a foreign government, etc, but a self-serving attempt to muscle more power and influence over weaker nations.  And modern warfare is the most vile, hideous and corrupt thing... and we supposedly have become more civilised.