Firestorm brewing as scientists work to create synthetic human DNA The Human Genome Project (HGP) took 13 years and $3 billion to complete. Scientists planning to synthesize human DNA think it is as little as 5 years away. They are seeking $100 million, and believe it will in total cost less than HGP. Their aim is to get the cost of making a DNA base pair down to one cent. Alex Ossola, special to CNBC.com Published 8:35 AM ET Tue, 2 May 2017 | Updated 9:16 AM ET Tue, 2 May 2017 CNBC.com As synthetic DNA is being researched, ethical questions are coming to surface 7:01 AM ET Tue, 2 May 2017 | 01:50 Last May a seemingly commonplace meeting kicked off a firestorm of controversy. More than 100 experts in genetics and bioengineering convened at Harvard Medical School for a meeting that was closed to the public — attendees were asked not to contact news media or to post about the meeting on social m