Scientists create artificial life...have we opened Pandora's box?

I just read how scientists have constructed a bacterium’s “genetic software” and transplanted it into a host cell. The resulting microbe then looked and behaved like the species “dictated” by the synthetic DNA.

IMO this signals the first step in creating artificial life forms from scratch and of course the possibilities are endless and then some. But what about the unexpected consequences of playing “God” in this way or even more so this technology being used to conduct war or other evil designs.

Have we now opened the proverbial Pandora’s box?

Here is the original story…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10132762.stm