I hope you're joking about "designing people"...but in case you're not, it's that sort of lunacy that will lead to more trouble than can be imagined. Violet eyes may work for some, but for others it might come with Downs syndrome, a botched immune system that creates the next generation of AIDS, or perhaps something more simple like an underdeveloped penis. Now wouldn't you like to be that kid...do you think, knowing all the facts, that he'll turn and thank you for his violet eyes. Perhaps he'll have somethink else he'd like to "thank" you for. Bottom line: It'll be a loooooong time before we're anywhere near smart enough to completely know what we're doing...but most likely it won't stop us from messing with things long before that. Hence, the danger we're in.
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Opinions - 2. Human Evolution
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I think my Down Syndrome son would look even cuter with violet eyes.
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"designer babies" is becoming more and more possible.After the mapping of the human genome, we know pretty much wich gene is responsible for which traits and so it would be possible to select embreos to implant into women which have these traits. I'm not too sure if they're quite up to changing the genes of an embreo so that it could have violet eyes but if they found a gene for violet eyes, wouldn't be to much more difficult then transgeneis wich they use often now to put things like, fishes anti-freezing gene into tomatoes. etc etc
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You'd be right...if it was as simple as you make it out to be. It's not. DNA is a strand that relates with itself as does any molecular structure. We don't know in what way the balance will be upset if we just start changing things around. One gene may be effectively linked to others which may change how they operate, which in turn leads to hundreds if not thousands of possible results by changing just one gene. Add to that the further possible changes that don't manifest themselves except during reproduction. These are just a few of the more obvious concerns. Until all permutations have been fully investigated (something that would cost a ton of money and, therefor, will most likely never happen), we don't know what we're fooling with.
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In reply to:
Until all permutations have been fully investigated (something that would cost a ton of money and, therefor, will most likely never happen), we don't know what we're fooling with.
And how do you expect scientists to investigate all of the possible permutations? Through theory alone? There is only so much knowledge we can get without experimenting, no amount of money will change that.
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What I would hope is that scientists will either find the way/money to do it, or leave the whole issue alone. That would be the responsible thing to do...even more so considering the potential consequences.
What I expect is that there will always be some that won't bother...and those are the ones big business will hire. So have no fear, bob.
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As I said, you can put as much or as little thought and money into it but without testing and proving your theories, it means fuck all! You have to experiment. Yes, this does pose a possible risk to live subjects involved, but people have willingly put their lives on the line for scientific advancement in the past. If a business skips all of the neccessary investigative steps and something goes wrong, they will be hung. There are very few companies that would risk that.
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Until all permutations have been fully investigated (something that would cost a ton of money and, therefor, will most likely never happen)I'm glad you wern't they guy who decided whether things like reattaching limbs, cell phones, the Internet, and a manned mission to the moon would be possible. I'm sure, 100 years ago, you would surely have thought not.You don't seem to grasp the eponential rate at which scientific knowledge is progressing. Do you think the most complex super-VLSI chips in the latest game consoles are simple? No; in fact, they're some of the most complex things man has ever conceived of. Are they possible? Obviously. And the sophistication of semiconductors will only get more sophisticated and complex.> What I expect is that there will always be some that won't bother...and those are the ones big business will hire. So have no fear, bob.Scary world there, eh? Don't worry, I'm sure Jesus will be back before it all hits the fan. Do you understand the difference between basic research, especially biomedical research, and how it's funded, versus applied research?
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No...Jesus will be back WHEN it hits the fan...not before. Get your Bible straight. PS - Can't you ever respond to a post of mine without dragging your concept of religion into it?
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You frequently speak of agendas, and your interpretation of the bible is what drives your agenda, isn't it? OK, here's a test, and it has more to do with the evolution of knowledge than the evolution of mortal flesh: What is your position on abstinence-only education?
By the way, you're going to be left behind.
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Spose so, recombination and linked genes and crap could really fuck with whatever you changed in the first place.....I think you have to deside when your at the point where you need to just accept that you COULD do somthing, and then back away slowly.
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Things like microsurgeryy would have seemed impossibly complicated (and terribly risky) 100 years ago, but people figured it out. The same will eventually happen with our understanding of the genome and how cells function. In the course of several hundred years, given the trajectory of our knowledge, don't you think we'll be able to figure out all the effects (and side effects) of modifying genetic material?
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I wish my short term memory worked! Caught a blip on the tele, about a new book out....Some of the discussion was about patenting genes (or bits of DNA)...How the @%^$# do you do THAT? I need to do some searching...but I found that REALLY weird, because, I didn't think you could patent things that were natural....Does that mean some dude I don't even know owns part of me? LITERALLY?
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I sure hope so Steve. The good folks at Stanford School of Medicine are busy researching genes to help with the symptoms and possibly reverse Down Syndrome. In case anyone is interested: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2006/07/17/newscolumn1.html Ha, I got dibs on your butt genes Pepsi.
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That's pretty interesting. There are many possibilities for gene therapy for people with certain illnesses or genetic problems. It's extraordinarily complex, but as I've said, so are the chips inside your video game.As for being able to patent genes, that is pretty bizarre. It not just about synthetic (man-made) genes; companies were (or at least were trying to) patents parts of animal genomes. I'm not sure how that's possible.
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trying to patent genes sounds a bit like if Priestley tried to patent oxygen in 1774 (good god, he would have made a fortune!)
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There are a lot of people wondering why some patent offices allowed patents on what were clearly not inventions.
The fact that a patent has been granted does not mean it is legally valid - the patent office gives no guarantee on that. I don't know whether the issue has been before any courts yet.
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I also know that a patent almost garentees copying. I worked for a manufacturer that used only proprietary proccess and carried no patents for that very reason
