[olePigeon]

Edit: Didn't notice the link didn't parse. So I fixed it. Now you can read the article.

washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines

"Scientists in Maryland have already built the world's first entirely handcrafted chromosome -- a large looping strand of DNA made from scratch in a laboratory, containing all the instructions a microbe needs to live and reproduce."

"In the coming year, they hope to transplant it into a cell, where it is expected to "boot itself up," like software downloaded from the Internet, and cajole the waiting cell to do its bidding. And while the first synthetic chromosome is a plagiarized version of a natural one, others that code for life forms that have never existed before are already under construction."

Unbelievably exciting! This is definitely one of the most important scientific developments in history. I can't wait!

ARTIFICIAL life. Freakin' cool. I never thought I'd live to see that. It's amazing how fast technology can advance sometimes.

[64stang06]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines

"Scientists in Maryland have already built the world's first entirely handcrafted chromosome -- a large looping strand of DNA made from scratch in a laboratory, containing all the instructions a microbe needs to live and reproduce."

"In the coming year, they hope to transplant it into a cell, where it is expected to "boot itself up," like software downloaded from the Internet, and cajole the waiting cell to do its bidding. And while the first synthetic chromosome is a plagiarized version of a natural one, others that code for life forms that have never existed before are already under construction."

Unbelievably exciting! This is definitely one of the most important scientific developments in history. I can't wait!

[osiris]

So... what's preventing this thing from mutating into something not so manageable?
It is exciting, but I'm leary of scientists playing god when we are such an immature species.

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines

"Scientists in Maryland have already built the world's first entirely handcrafted chromosome -- a large looping strand of DNA made from scratch in a laboratory, containing all the instructions a microbe needs to live and reproduce."

"In the coming year, they hope to transplant it into a cell, where it is expected to "boot itself up," like software downloaded from the Internet, and cajole the waiting cell to do its bidding. And while the first synthetic chromosome is a plagiarized version of a natural one, others that code for life forms that have never existed before are already under construction."

Unbelievably exciting! This is definitely one of the most important scientific developments in history. I can't wait!

ARTIFICIAL life. Freakin' cool. I never thought I'd live to see that. It's amazing how fast technology can advance sometimes.

This reminds me of the kind of major event described in a post-apocolyptic movie. Don't come crying to me in three years when its replicated and mutated out of control.

[goMac]

I plan on buying a panic room to protect myself from the hordes of undead zombies.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by osiris 

So... what's preventing this thing from mutating into something not so manageable?
It is exciting, but I'm leary of scientists playing god when we are such an immature species.

Sterilization procedures.

[keekeeree]

Originally Posted by nonhuman 

Sterilization procedures.

"If there's one thing the history of evolution has taught us, it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free. It expands to new territories. It crashes through barriers painfully, maybe even dangerously, but - well, there it is."



Personally, I think it's cool. A little scary, but very cool. Now, where did I put those UV lights...

[osiris]

Sterlization of the immature species or the chromosome?

[ctt1wbw]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

washingtonpost.com - nation, world, technology and Washington area news and headlines


ARTIFICIAL life. Freakin' cool. I never thought I'd live to see that. It's amazing how fast technology can advance sometimes.

Hell, if you want artificial life, join the military. I've been dealing with artificialiaty for almost 20 years now.

[Mrjinglesusa]

Originally Posted by keekeeree 

"If there's one thing the history of evolution has taught us, it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free. It expands to new territories. It crashes through barriers painfully, maybe even dangerously, but - well, there it is."

Jeff Goldblume in Jurassic Park. What do I win?

[ctt1wbw]

A Zune.

[olePigeon]

There's a cool book (thought I can't remember the name) where different species in the universe create other species, then enslave them. The only way to elevate to a master race is to create a race of beings of your own, then enslave them. After you've done that, you're your own master (freed from slavery) and you can go out and explore the universe. Normally, this is a process that takes millions of years. There are ancient beings that have "earned" their right to their place in the universe.

So, along come human beings, and after only being around for 20,000 some odd years, they create intelligent monkeys (or might've been dolphins.) They are, therefore, elevated to the status of Master. I can't remember if this started a war or not, but I do remember that all the other species were extremely pissed off. 20,000 years was a blink of an eye for them, and these uppity Humans have to screw it up by becoming masters in such a short time.

[Jawbone54]

Human Arrogance +1,000 pts

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Human Arrogance +1,000 pts

Well, we were created in God's image afterall...

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Dakar the Fourth 

Well, we were created in God's image afterall...

OH SNAP!

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Dakar the Fourth 

Well, we were created in God's image afterall...

Oh no you didn't!

[Jawbone54]

I would get all serious and talk about the Tower of Babel and such, but that would be a huge buzzkill, not to mention stereotypical.

So I think I'll just take a sip of Dew and toast the end of civilization.

I think everyone has to admit that this whole thing is kind of "cool."

[sek929]

After seeing I Am Legend last night this sort of news troubles me....

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

I would get all serious and talk about the Tower of Babel and such, but that would be a huge buzzkill, not to mention stereotypical.

Start a thread, I'll be there.

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

So I think I'll just take a sip of Dew and toast the end of civilization.

No need get all melodramatic... I have my reservations, but theoretically if this was 100% safe, I see nothing wrong with the act, would you?

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

I think everyone has to admit that this whole thing is kind of "cool."

Arguing over the internets? Agreed!

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by sek929 

After seeing I Am Legend last night this sort of news troubles me....

Yeah, I think I'd be a little more impressed/celebratory if I hadn't seen that buzzkill this weekend.

[sek929]

If the cure for cancer ended civilization this is really gonna do us a number!

[Dakar the Fourth]

We're all gonna end up looking Xavier, Renegade Angel.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Dakar the Fourth 

We're all gonna end up looking Xavier, Renegade Angel.

We're gonna end up gay?

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by osiris 

So... what's preventing this thing from mutating into something not so manageable?

No more or less than what would prevent anything else from mutating into something not so manageable.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

We're gonna end up gay?

Oh you!

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

No more or less than what would prevent anything else from mutating into something not so manageable.

But other living things haven't been created by man - so there may be flaws that we may not be aware of just yet.

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Oh you!

I don't wanna know where you found that.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by osiris 

But other living things haven't been created by man - so there may be flaws that we may not be aware of just yet.

That could be said of anything we do. "Fire was never created by man, so maybe if I start a fire, it will suddenly blow up the whole world." In my opinion, it just won't do to be paralyzed by fears that amount to little more than superstition.

[osiris]

I think that's a stretch, and a far cry from molecular biology and genetic engineering. :/

[Eug]

Just in time for the 25th anniversary.

[Dakar the Fourth]

The Final Cut. I look forward to seeing whether it lives up to that hype come 10 years form now.

[Kerrigan]

I'll be happy as long as we can engineer a servant race of humans who are psychologically incapable of disobeying their rich masters.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

I'll be happy as long as we can engineer a servant race of humans who are psychologically incapable of disobeying their rich masters.

Children?

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

I'll be happy as long as we can engineer a servant race of humans who are psychologically incapable of disobeying their rich masters.

[insert minority here]?

[iMOTOR]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

[insert minority here]?

I don't think Mexicans are really a minority anymore.

[TheoCryst]

Originally Posted by iMOTOR 

I don't think Mexicans are really a minority anymore.

Oh double-snap!

Seriously though, this is wicked awesome, and I'll be looking forward to the countless ways this can benefit mankind (not to mention the one which will doom us all).

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by Dakar the Fourth 

Well, we were created in God's image afterall...

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

OH SNAP!

This thread wins!

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by osiris 

But other living things haven't been created by man - so there may be flaws that we may not be aware of just yet.

[Kerrigan]

Did you bite the tip of that corn, Erik?

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

[picture of dogs]

[picture of corn]

And to add on:


Not only do they not exist outside of man's influence, they could not — bananas are a seedless fruit.

[Shaddim]

When they successfully do this thing I'll make sure and write it down on my calendar.

Out of the dozens of similar things I've marked, about 50% have come back to severely bite us in the ass.

[- - e r i k - -]

Yeah, those bananas sure came back to bite us in the ass.

[smacintush]

Originally Posted by osiris 

…we are such an immature species.

I love when people say crap like this.

So where do you come up with this? What is immature? In order to make such a judgement you NEED a reference which to compare us to. Is there another species that I don't know about that has accomplished more than us? If you have evidence of one let me know. I'd like to learn more about them.

I know the likely hood of there being other life somewhere on other planets, but think about this: Whatever the probability that there is a species out there that is more advanced than us, it is just as likely that WE are THE most advanced in the knowable universe. (I'm not saying I believe that…just throwing it out there)

[abe]

“I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

When they successfully do this thing I'll make sure and write it down on my calendar.

Out of the dozens of similar things I've marked, about 50% have come back to severely bite us in the ass.

Uh, bananas exist in nature. The particular species of banana that we commonly eat, has been bred to seedlessness, but there are other species of banana out there.

And it's not the lack of seeds that will cause our banana crops to fail, it's the genetic homogeneity. Every single banana you get at the store is a clone, they're genetically identical. That means they're incredibly susceptible to disease: a single disease could wipe out the entire species. It's happened before. The bananas we eat today are not the same species as the bananas we used to eat, those went extinct for exactly the reason I mention above and were, by all accounts, much better tasting. The ones we eat now will too some day (possibly soon, we're already having problems) and then we'll need to start eating another species of banana which will probably eventually lead to the same thing.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by smacintush 

I love when people say crap like this.

So where do you come up with this? What is immature? In order to make such a judgement you NEED a reference which to compare us to. Is there another species that I don't know about that has accomplished more than us? If you have evidence of one let me know. I'd like to learn more about them.

I know the likely hood of there being other life somewhere on other planets, but think about this: Whatever the probability that there is a species out there that is more advanced than us, it is just as likely that WE are THE most advanced in the knowable universe. (I'm not saying I believe that…just throwing it out there)

A reference? Look around you - people **** on the streets, children starve, and wars are waged - you think humans are capable of creating an entirely new life form with all possible repercussions thought out ahead of time? Please. Let's take care of the small problems first. That is my judgement.

I think the second half of your post is unrelated, and irrelevant for this topic because it is conjecture. (As much as I do agree that there is life out there) To assume that we are #1 is a bit self-indulgent, if vain.
We are not #1 (how's that!)

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

When they successfully do this thing I'll make sure and write it down on my calendar.

Out of the dozens of similar things I've marked, about 50% have come back to severely bite us in the ass.

I'd be interested in hearing what a select few of these were, if you don't mind.

[osiris]

With pictures, please.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by nonhuman 

Uh, bananas exist in nature. The particular species of banana that we commonly eat, has been bred to seedlessness, but there are other species of banana out there.

The other species of bananas are not things that would really be recognized as the same fruit that we eat.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by smacintush 

I know the likely hood of there being other life somewhere on other planets, but think about this: Whatever the probability that there is a species out there that is more advanced than us, it is just as likely that WE are THE most advanced in the knowable universe. (I'm not saying I believe that…just throwing it out there)

Have you heard of the Fermi Paradox?