It is funny how casually they talk about it, but I think it represents a real breakthrough.

There is talk of the ability to take adult stemcells from a burn victim, and use their own cells to regrow (or possibly print?) an ear, or skin for a graft.

There has also been talk of the ability to implant stemcells in an adults gums and have them regrow permanent teeth.

We really are entering an age of incredible medical technology and "miracles".

Actually, I'd agree with you, we will never create "life" because anything "life engineers" would create would be too elegant and structured to be called "life" by those who have studied the hacked-together unstructured junk currently called "life". Evolution has done such a terrible job it is almost guarenteed that any attempt at engineering life will be done so much the better.

"Never" is a long time, sir.
Do not doubt the powers of science!

there is an infinite gap between mere amino acid molecules and a single "primitive" living cell.

While it took several generations of hard scientific effort to "reverse engineer" molecular biology (though the "design" implication is misleading), intelligent and motivated college students can master the material in a few semesters. The schematics comprising the hierarchy between amino acids and living cells seem cognitively finite to me.

Using pre-existing biological tissues and molecules is hardly "creating life", there is an infinite gap between mere amino acid molecules and a single "primitive" living cell. Scientists will _NEVER_ "create life", the closest they will ever come is "pseudo life", ie nanotech based cell like machines either wet or dry.

Some day the enlightened will say, "Of course scientists can create life! What do you think life is — some kind of miracle?"