Original story Doesn't that last line sound like it's from Half Life? Also, shouldn't it be called "Synthetic life" rather than artificial? [/pendantic]
I could imagine this being the basis of a film, scientists create life forms that rapidly eat CO2, send them up to start chomping...but it goes wrong! Dun dun dun! They eat all of the CO2, leaving the planet a cold and desolate place.
The problem with CO2 is that it's a substance that can't be burned and it's reactions are limited and not high energy ones, so they'd have to get some energy from elsewhere (like the sun). Some great research though, if this goes far enough they could effectively wipe most diseases out.
It's mind-boggling to think of all the people that firmly believe that this is the way life started...from non-living chemicals which evolutionists conjured out of thin air. Only God can create life ex nihilo.
"We would like to announce that we have finally figured out how to make life out of nothing!!! *grabs a handful of dirt* Watch!!!" *Thunder booms overhead* The sky rolls back and you see the Hand of God, pointing at the scientist. "Okay, use your own dirt. I started from scratch."
"several scientists believe man-made life forms will one day offer the potential for solving a variety of problems, from fighting diseases to locking up greenhouse gases to eating toxic waste." Creating a lifeform that wouldn't fart? Not even God could manage that.