From that article:
In this week’s Science Express (www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/science.1190719), they describe the stepwise creation of a bacterial chromosome and the successful transfer of it into a bacterium, where it replaced the native DNA. Powered by the synthetic genome, that microbial cell began replicating and making a new set of proteins.
I will remind you of what my actual claim was:
That said, I do believe if a group of extraterrestrial biologists arrived on earth and started collecting examples of life to take to their home planet to research, they might not be able to determine that the synthetic organism constructed by Venter’s group was designed as opposed to any other organisms they collected.
So that kind of shoots your whole argument down, doesn’t it? These extraterrestrial biologists would describe Venter’s bacteria as natural, whereas if they also collected human artifacts like watches, they would consider these to be designed.