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Artificial life breakthrough, synthetic DNA!


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Artificial life breakthrough as researchers reveals first 'alien' organisms built with synthetic DNA

    Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, introduced DNA molecules not found in nature to a common bacterium
    The E. coli bugs are able to grow and reproduce as normal despite containing two extra letters in their genetic code
    Research involved overcoming a billion years of evolution to get the expanded genetic alphabet into living bacteria
    In the future the research could lead to creation of microbes capable of manufacturing entirely new proteins that could be used in medicine
    Some people are worried that the rapid advance of ‘synthetic biology’ could lead to the worrying prospect of new life-forms escaping from labs


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4149772/Alien-life-form-created-synthetic-DNA-bacteria.html#ixzz4WdrSQD1o


 

 

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Hopefully the building this research was done in contains a self-destruct protocol that will be activated, but inevitably thwarted, by a greedy scientist who decides to sell these new life forms to Monsanto.

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Sweet!! That is what playing God is for. 

Now where's my hoverboard?

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I can so see abuses with this.  What if there is a disease that is grown from this?  Scary IMO

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6 minutes ago, glorybebe said:

I can so see abuses with this.  What if there is a disease that is grown from this?  Scary IMO

That's the problem with everything unfortunately. I mean we've not got evolution in a bottle (metaphorically). We could (given time) create plant like organisms that would be perfect for providing breathable air for long distance space travel, eat trash here on earth, or even be the start of life on other worlds. Only time and intention will tell. 

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1 minute ago, XenoFish said:

That's the problem with everything unfortunately. I mean we've not got evolution in a bottle (metaphorically). We could (given time) create plant like organisms that would be perfect for providing breathable air for long distance space travel, eat trash here on earth, or even be the start of life on other worlds. Only time and intention will tell. 

I don't have in humans, obviously.  This whole thing makes me leery

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On the bright side we might have a Synthetic Dodo back in the wild ... there will be more synthetic consumables to voraciously extirpate with happy abandon. 

~

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1 minute ago, glorybebe said:

I don't have in humans, obviously.  This whole thing makes me leery

Are humans really that perfect as a species. The only real thing we've got going for us is our numbers. 

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1 minute ago, XenoFish said:

Are humans really that perfect as a species. The only real thing we've got going for us is our numbers. 

I am saying humans aren't perfect.  We are greedy, selfish and want power.  Maybe not as individuals, but as a whole. 

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So let's say that by accident we create something better, like us but far better than we currently could ever be. Would that be bad? If we created our next step in evolution? When I look at the biological advances in science I get that child like giddiness about it. That new discovery and new mysteries. It excites me. Then there are those who are nothing but afraid. Eventually we as a species shall be on the endangered list. I can't help but think that perhaps through our science and technology we can find a way to survive. Perhaps not as we are now but different. Even on a different world. Might have to begin again from the ground up.

Could you for a moment imagine sending trillions of pods out into the depth of space, all going to viable worlds, because that's our last hope. A hope that the whole of life on earth could be reborn. I'm a dreamer in this regard. I'm not afraid of it. Even if the end results is something that kills us all.

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How I look at it is we developed naturally on Earth.  Humans used to have a more symbiotic relationship with nature.  Now we have taken nature's natural progressions with life and changed them.  I just am trepidatious about messing where we shouldn't. 

I can see there could be great applications to this technology.  But then, history has turned out people like Hitler .  Can you imagine a person with a mind set like him with this technology?  Scares the crap out of me.

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Sounds like the plot of I AM LEGEND.  If research proves this a viable alternative way to create living organisms there is no telling what kinds of Chimeras or even abominations will be created in labs around the planet.  And eventually, something will get out of the labs and begin its own evolutionary dance.  Creepy and dangerous. OTOH, how much money would be thrown at it in the early stages if some practical application were found like regenerating a spinal cord or rebuilding an Alzheimers congealed brain?  

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I remember when we got our first microwave oven, think it was mid 80's, and my entire family were terrified to use it. If you stood to close it boiled your blood, it could cook your brains, it gave of radiation that gives cancer, it alterd the food to give you cancer, my granny wouldn't come in the house as the "waves" could burn out her pacemaker...the negitive rumours were horrific, it was the same in every household in our area, nobody go near the microwave....it will kill you! 

Because its new and we dont fully understand something we generally jump straight to "negative" mode. And our fears and irrationalities take over.

We always like to think the worst, 

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I don't see my concerns as being irrational, i thunk if them as being logical.  Logically there have been people in history and in  current times who will abuse technology that is developed.  They would use this technology in ways others wouldn't dream of.  There are also the scientist who have a God complex and don't see that they went too far.   I know that this technology will be used no matter who has concerns.  Its use needs to be controlled and monitored more so than other technologies because of what it could be used for.

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6 minutes ago, glorybebe said:

I don't see my concerns as being irrational, i thunk if them as being logical.  Logically there have been people in history and in  current times who will abuse technology that is developed.  They would use this technology in ways others wouldn't dream of.  There are also the scientist who have a God complex and don't see that they went too far.   I know that this technology will be used no matter who has concerns.  Its use needs to be controlled and monitored more so than other technologies because of what it could be used for.

It always seems logical at the time, its not untill we look back we realise we were being abit OTT

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40 minutes ago, Lucas Cooper Merrin said:

It always seems logical at the time, its not untill we look back we realise we were being abit OTT

That is your opinion. And that is why we come here to voice our opinions.  In my opinion I am looking at a larger picture where the faith and trust in human nature is based on our history. We have had amazing and wonderful instances, but we have had incredibly evil ones, too.  We do not seem to learn from our past mistakes, and that is where I base my opinion.

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1 hour ago, glorybebe said:

That is your opinion. And that is why we come here to voice our opinions.  In my opinion I am looking at a larger picture where the faith and trust in human nature is based on our history. We have had amazing and wonderful instances, but we have had incredibly evil ones, too.  We do not seem to learn from our past mistakes, and that is where I base my opinion.

To have the amazing wonderful instances you need the incredibly evil ones too unfortunately. We wouldn't know happiness if there was no sadness. 

Why should "logic" always jump to a worst case scenario?

I think we do learn from our past mistakes, and i think making mistakes is the only way that humans do learn, its the way we are. We need to burn ourselfs on the fire to see if it is hot and although we continue to burn ourselfs we also figure out what we can use the fire for, how we can harness the heat.....that is what we do as a species 

So to be fearfull and negitive about experimentation is to be fearfull and negitive of what makes us human

 

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7 hours ago, Lucas Cooper Merrin said:

I remember when we got our first microwave oven, think it was mid 80's, and my entire family were terrified to use it. If you stood to close it boiled your blood, it could cook your brains, it gave of radiation that gives cancer, it alterd the food to give you cancer, my granny wouldn't come in the house as the "waves" could burn out her pacemaker...the negitive rumours were horrific, it was the same in every household in our area, nobody go near the microwave....it will kill you! 

Because its new and we dont fully understand something we generally jump straight to "negative" mode. And our fears and irrationalities take over.

We always like to think the worst, 

LOL, I still do not own one and when I visit my mom, I don't let her cook my food in her microwave.  I don't like them. :D

Edited by MJNYC
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20 minutes ago, MJNYC said:

LOL, I still do not own one and when I visit my mom, I don't let her cook my food in her microwave.  I don't like them. :D

Im not a big fan either, even though i know they are safe, something inside me still screams "push start then dive behind the kitchen counter untill it beeps" lol

 

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Lovely! Everyday we inch ever closer to all of my dystopian fantasies coming true! :tsu:

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7 hours ago, Lucas Cooper Merrin said:

So to be fearfull and negitive about experimentation is to be fearfull and negitive of what makes us human

I understand what you're saying.  If we were discussing a new energy source or some novel form of advanced engineering, I'd agree.  Taking steps toward creating new life forms that we then would have to isolate until they could be thoroughly studied, that's more than I could manage.  The threat of some contagion or mutation that rapidly burns through a population is a very real concern.  Even if it was only a nuisance, it can be very expensive.  Have you ever heard of Kudzu?  Some wit thought it would make good forage for cattle in the S.E. US.  Google it sometime.

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53 minutes ago, Calibeliever said:

Lovely! Everyday we inch ever closer to all of my dystopian fantasies coming true! :tsu:

I notice you're in North Texas.  If you aren't a cow or a state prisoner, what on earth are you doing there? :lol:  I was in Dalhart once for a couple of weeks.  Even the trees leaned :)    

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3 minutes ago, and then said:

I notice you're in North Texas.  If you aren't a cow or a state prisoner, what on earth are you doing there? :lol:  I was in Dalhart once for a couple of weeks.  Even the trees leaned :)    

Off topic, but what is wrong with North Texas?  I have a few ideas myself but I wanted to know why you felt this way.

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