Going against the grain

Genome of life

Then, in order to sequence the genome, he started a nonprofit institute in 1992, and in 1995, the institute made a breakthrough, mapping the genetic code of a type of bacterium.

The way that Venter's team sequenced the genome outpaced scientists from six countries including the United States, China and the United Kingdom, so in 1997 Venter was invited to join their program to sequence human genes.

In the previous seven years, the scientists had only sequenced about three percent of human genes but Venter used the next three years to complete 90 percent, and in 2000, Bill Clinton, the then US President, announced that the program had completed 99 percent of the sequencing of the human genome.

Then, in 2010, Venter and his team created the first man-made cell.

Meanwhile, the team are also developing a technology that will help to bring the genome of life from other planets to earth to replicate alien life.

For instance, Venter says that if life is found on Mars, which he is sure will happen, machines sent to Mars will be able to sequence the genome of life and send the data back to earth.