The New Scientist has an interesting story about scientists who set up a bacteria with an “extended” genetic code: they got the bacteria to create a new amino acid (p-aminophenylalanine, which is not one of the 20 amino acides that appear in the genetic code), and incorporate it into a protein when the sequence being translated (from DNA/RNA to protein) contained a specific group of 3 nucleic acid bases (a “codon”, a basic unit of the genetic code) that doesn’t code for any amino acid.
Now, is this feat of genetic engineering just an incredible party trick, or will it have widespread applications? I say it’ll take 10 years before they find something cool to do with this, but I’m not backing that bet with money.