With reference to the recent developments in science, which one of the

With reference to the recent developments in science, which one of the following statements is not correct?

Functional chromosomes can be created by joining segments of DNA taken from cells of different species.
Pieces of artificial functional DNA can be created in laboratories.
A piece of DNA taken out from an animal cell can be made to replicate outside a living cell in a laboratory.
Cells taken out from plants and animals can be made to undergo cell division in laboratory petri dishes.
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2019
The correct answer is A) Functional chromosomes can be created by joining segments of DNA taken from cells of different species.
While recombinant DNA technology allows joining DNA segments from different species (e.g., inserting a gene from one species into a plasmid or chromosome of another to create a transgenic organism), creating an entire *functional chromosome* de novo by simply joining arbitrary “segments of DNA taken from cells of different species” is significantly more complex. A functional chromosome requires precise organization of elements like origins of replication, centromeres, and telomeres that are species-specific in their function and interaction with cellular machinery. Simply joining random segments from different species is unlikely to yield a functional chromosome capable of stable replication and segregation within a cell.
B) Pieces of artificial functional DNA can be created in laboratories: This is correct and is the basis of synthetic biology, where DNA sequences can be synthesized from scratch.
C) A piece of DNA taken out from an animal cell can be made to replicate outside a living cell in a laboratory: This is correct through techniques like Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), which performs in vitro DNA amplification (replication).
D) Cells taken out from plants and animals can be made to undergo cell division in laboratory petri dishes: This is correct and describes standard cell culture and tissue culture techniques.
Therefore, creating a *functional chromosome* by simply joining segments from different species, implying a de novo assembly that functions correctly across generations, is the most biologically complex and least straightforward statement compared to the others, making it the most likely intended incorrect statement in this context.