COVER: Playing God (All overseas editions). Lee Silver, professor of molecular biology at Princeton University and the author of "Challenging Nature," reports on a group of scientific mavericks who are defying Nature's monopoly on creation in the field of Synthetic Biology. They've forged chemicals into synthetic DNA, the DNA into genes, genes into genomes, and built the molecular machinery of completely new organisms in the lab-organisms that are nothing like anything nature has produced. SynBio engineers think they can take what we know and design and construct novel forms of life that are programmed to do practical things that couldn't otherwise be done, including churning out any imaginable pharmaceutical drug, seeking out cancerous tumors anywhere in the body, or converting sunlight directly into clean biofuel.

Making It Happen. Craig Venter, who decoded the human genome faster and cheaper than anyone expected, is now trying to synthesize a living organism from a handful of inert chemicals. If he succeeds, he'll be able to turn cells into biochemical factories that can churn out biofuels. In a phone interview, he talks about the problems and potential of synthetic biology. "When most people talk about biofuels they talk about using oils or grease from plants. We're talking about something made truly synthetically through biochemical processes, maybe starting with sugar, or starting with sunlight," Venter says.

Reading the Book of Jim. Science Columnist Sharon Begley reports that James Watson, co-discoverer of the double helix, is about to make his DNA public. Two years ago Watson, 79, agreed to become the first person to have his genome sequenced and made public. A biotech company, 454 Life Sciences, has now determined, from a blood sample, every one of 6 billion chemical "letters" (designated A, T, C and G) that make up the DNA in Watson's cells. He's doing this to encourage others to have their own genome sequenced.

Gathering the Tribes. Beijing Bureau Chief Melinda Liu, on assignment in Iraq, reports on the success in Ramadi, Iraq, of cooperation between the Iraqi tribesmen and the U.S. military. Less than a year ago, they were probably shooting at Americans. Now they and the Marines are fighting side by side against Al Qaeda. The Pentagon is praying that its new allies will reconfigure the war. The success of the Ramadi experiment has given rise to hopes that the model can be applied elsewhere in Iraq.

A Holy City Loses Faith. Jerusalem Bureau Chief Kevin Peraino reports that even as they celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Six Day War, a growing number of Israeli voices are saying the once unthinkable: that Jerusalem may never truly be united. The city is now Israel's poorest metropolis and a

vastly disparate standard of living divides Jerusalem's Arab and Jews, who only rarely mix.

This I Pledge to Do. For many reasons other than Iraq, there is today a new appreciation for multilateralism and diplomacy in coping with crises, writes United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon in an essay. " 'Soft power' issues-the U.N.'s natural turf-have risen to the top of the global agenda. In the past year alone, to cite but one example, a consensus has emerged on climate change and the dangers of global warning," Ban writes.

It's Not About Money. Tokyo Bureau Chief Christian Caryl reports on the political angle in last month's U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement-which comes at precisely the moment when America's military presence on the Korean Peninsula is rapidly diminishing, anti-U.S. nationalism in South Korea is growing and China is playing an ever more important leadership role in the region. While free-trade agreements have always been somewhat political, the use of FTAs in geopolitical jockeying is reaching new heights in East Asia, where a flurry of deals between regional and international players mark new alliances in a strategically uncertain part of the world.

The Sights of Summer. Special Correspondent Carla Power reports on Europe's new museum exhibits, including a showing of Persian art at the Hermitage Amsterdam that breaks down cultural stereotypes and a photographic project at the Venice Biennale with shots of musicians from Mali who wrote and performed songs on AIDS for a countrywide competition.

Lessons in Clean Living. Special Correspondent Michael Levitin reports that the historic home of Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee, part of the new Bauhaus permanent exhibit in Dessau, Germany, serves as a testament of the movement's functional "design for living" philosophy. It is the radiant symbol of an avant-garde movement whose activity was cut short-and one that people are now clamoring for.

WORLD VIEW: Hillary Equals France. Bill Maher, host of HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher," wants conservatives to stop rolling their eyes every time they hear the word France. France has its faults, but its health care is the best, it's not dependent on Mideast oil and it has the lowest poverty rate among industrialized nations, he writes. "France has 20,000 miles of railroads that work. We have the trolley at the mall that takes you from the Pottery Barn to the Gap. It has bullet trains. We have bullets. France has public intellectuals. We have Dr. Phil," Maher writes.

THE LAST WORD: Richard Rogers, British architect. Rogers, who co-designed the Pompidou Center in Paris, is to be awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. "I've been trying to make that link between the quality of architecture and the quality of public space and vitality of cities-and quality of life," he says.