A research group has caused a huge fuss by making their own unique species of living bacteria.

Scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute turned an existing type of bacteria into a new species by inserting their own synthetic DNA into it. DNA is the key molecule of life and makes the genes of all living things. Genes act as a blueprint for the body and tell it how to grow and what cells to make.

DNA is like a code. It is made up of four main substances, which are abbreviated with the letters A, C, G and T. Scientists wrote their own code on a computer and have managed to make their own DNA. This new DNA causes the altered bacteria to make different substances from the original species.

To prove that the DNA was made by them, the scientists have inserted their own code within it. Their code spells out the names of the researchers that worked on it, three quotes from literature and an email address.

The work is hugely controversial because many people think that it is like ‘playing god’. Others say that the bacteria could endanger humans.

The scientists’ ultimate aim is to make bacteria that can do useful things, such as make cheap energy and medicines or clean up water supplies.