Not exactly. These lines of cells weren't created from scratch. From the article:
> Scientists at JCVI constructed the first cell with a synthetic genome in 2010. They didn’t build that cell completely from scratch. Instead, they started with cells from a very simple type of bacteria called a mycoplasma. They destroyed the DNA in those cells and replaced it with DNA that was designed on a computer and synthesized in a lab. This was the first organism in the history of life on Earth to have an entirely synthetic genome. They called it JCVI-syn1.0.
I suppose this makes sense, but at a personal level, the two scenarios seem similar. Interpreters & compilers are blackbox to me, at least. I have no idea how they work, and I wouldn't be able to make one for myself. But sure, someone could teach me.
I'm curious if they are going to 'ship of Theseus' it. First replace the dna, done, then the lipid membrane, then feed it C13 labelled amino acids to prove that the entirety of the cell proteom is from their synthetic genes.
Not quite creating life but definitely hijacking it.
> Scientists at JCVI constructed the first cell with a synthetic genome in 2010. They didn’t build that cell completely from scratch. Instead, they started with cells from a very simple type of bacteria called a mycoplasma. They destroyed the DNA in those cells and replaced it with DNA that was designed on a computer and synthesized in a lab. This was the first organism in the history of life on Earth to have an entirely synthetic genome. They called it JCVI-syn1.0.