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World's First GM Babies Born

soot said:
I certainly appreciate what you're saying there, but does the possibility not exist that in solving one problem we're simply exacerbating others?

We've got ~7 billion on this little planet as it is and population is growing logarithmically (on the steep end) if not expotentially.

Meanwhile, we're depeleting natural resources at an ever increasing rate, creating polution like never before in history, and replacing traditional middle class jobs with machines.

Sure, these kids are gonna be healthier than they would have otherwise have been, in a sense.

But when they grow up jobless, with no access to clean water, breathing smog, and suffering from the kinds of communicable diseases that grow in poverty and squalor have we (or "science" really) done them any favors?

Now obviously this is a "doom & gloom" assessment of the global future, and who knows, maybe cold fusion and perpetual motion machines and our ability to discern the secretes of the Universe once we learn to talk to the Dolphins will render it more apocryphal than prophetic.

But it's at least something to think about.

Packing more people onto the planet by means of circumventing Darwin might just hasten our demise as a species.
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Hmm. Well, if we as a species would simply refrain from utilizing any medical treatment whatsoever, I'm fairly certain the planet's population would plummet rather quickly.

Problem solved.
 
wrath-of-Kahn-2.jpg
 
such advancements in medical science makes me both happy and worry


from the link

"Geneticists fear that one day this method could be used to create new races of humans with extra, desired characteristics such as strength or high intelligence."

l have to agree with it.
 
Medusa said:
such advancements in medical science makes me both happy and worry


from the link

"Geneticists fear that one day this method could be used to create new races of humans with extra, desired characteristics such as strength or high intelligence."

l have to agree with it.
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.....and giant breasts.
 
There are presently genetic/gestation researchers working on the prevention of birth defects.

It was only a matter of time before they learned there were other aspects of the process they could also affect.

The job of science is to understand, explain, predict, and control. But, do all that with respect to ethics and morality? Not a part of the job description.

Science and scientists most definitely need a governing body similar to civilian officials in charge of the military, as the last thing we want is the military in charge of the military. Likewise, we also don't want science in chrage of science.

Discovering something is great.

Making sure all the misery-causing bugs are worked out first, even better.

Leaving the decision to utilize said discovery out of the hands of science/scientists and in the hands of humanity's best non-science ethicists, priceless.
 
Northern Light said:
There are many who argue that humans have not evolved all that much in the past 100,000 years because our environment no longer challenges us enough to need major adaptations. If this argument is at all true, then it means the only way for us to change is if we change ourselves.
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100,000 years isn't terribly long in the evolutionary scale, but there's a list that immediately comes to mind:
1) the appendix
2) walking upright all the time
3) hips, primarily on females, have narrowed significantly
4) hair patterns and distribution
5) length and utility of fingers/toes
6) brain size/skull size
 
DiAnna said:
The potential for enhancing the lives of individuals who would otherwise be born with serious health issues is enormous, and quite exciting. These are baby steps toward a future when no child will ever have to face a life of pain and crippling disease if inter-utero genetic modification can eliminate the genetic cause. This is a good thing. I'm not understanding the fear and negativity. This is truly an amazing and awesome scientific breakthrough!
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I agree, it could be - you, however, have more faith in the human race than I do at this point in time.
 
clownboy said:
100,000 years isn't terribly long in the evolutionary scale, but there's a list that immediately comes to mind:
1) the appendix
2) walking upright all the time
3) hips, primarily on females, have narrowed significantly
4) hair patterns and distribution
5) length and utility of fingers/toes
6) brain size/skull size
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you're saying. Are you saying that these are useful adaptations?
 
Lutherf said:
I have a question.

If we manage to "fix" life so that we no longer need to worry about disease and genetic "disabilities" then aren't we also shutting off the mechanism by which we evolve as a species? Are we really so arrogant as to believe that as a species we have reached the pinnacle of our evolutionary journey and no longer need the trials of nature to encourage us in one direction or another?

What happens next? Will we institute a UN council on biological desirability to sort out what the next level of human "progress" will be?

In the past we have seen governments take on the role of God and gods and all those civilizations, no matter how great their accomplishments at the time, have fallen. There is a reason for that.

Nature is entropic. It MUST be entropic because that diversity, including the pain and suffering that goes with it, is what gives our lives meaning and allows us to grow as individuals, as civilizations and as a species.
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Amen - and let's not forget that some diseases are found predominantly within some races and are we going to genetically eliminate what makes that race special at the same time the disease is hopefully eliminated. Skin cancer is a disease - do we alter people's pigmentation to eliminate skin cancers? Certain eye colors are more prone to cataracts or other sight related diseases - do we eliminate certain eye colors?
 
soot said:
I certainly appreciate what you're saying there, but does the possibility not exist that in solving one problem we're simply exacerbating others?

We've got ~7 billion on this little planet as it is and population is growing logarithmically (on the steep end) if not expotentially.

Meanwhile, we're depeleting natural resources at an ever increasing rate, creating polution like never before in history, and replacing traditional middle class jobs with machines.

Sure, these kids are gonna be healthier than they would have otherwise have been, in a sense.

But when they grow up jobless, with no access to clean water, breathing smog, and suffering from the kinds of communicable diseases that grow in poverty and squalor have we (or "science" really) done them any favors?

Now obviously this is a "doom & gloom" assessment of the global future, and who knows, maybe cold fusion and perpetual motion machines and our ability to discern the secretes of the Universe once we learn to talk to the Dolphins will render it more apocryphal than prophetic.

But it's at least something to think about.

Packing more people onto the planet by means of circumventing Darwin might just hasten our demise as a species.
Click to expand...

Don't worry - the genetically improved newbies will find a way to eliminate less pure oldies like me.
 
Does this story make anyone else think of Gattaca?
 
Genetics? OMGZ****INGNAZIS. :roll:

They're taking mitochondrial DNA from one person, and injecting into someone else's mitochondria in the hope the bit of mDNA that is stopping person B from being fertile will be replaced. You're still getting genes from another imperfect person. It's adding extra genetic information one generation earlier than it otherwise would.
 
Un biased said:
:roll::roll:The fact that children being born with with higher intelegence is so scary I need to lock my door... Yeah no child deserves a advantage in life .:roll:
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OMG, not geeks that cannot be beat up and tormented their whole lives. Wow, what a terrible thing to create. RGIII, watchout, competition coming in a couple of decades.
 
CanadaJohn said:
I agree, it could be - you, however, have more faith in the human race than I do at this point in time.
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That, and the fact that in science, we do things just because we can, and because we are fascinated, and not necessarily because we always should. Being too focused on pure science has its strong points, but we need to recognize the negatives as well, and imo, breeding humans to be something more than we are, is playing with fire.
 
lizzie said:
That, and the fact that in science, we do things just because we can, and because we are fascinated, and not necessarily because we always should. Being too focused on pure science has its strong points, but we need to recognize the negatives as well, and imo, breeding humans to be something more than we are, is playing with fire.
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I agree, just on base instinct I don't like it, but as a retired person my time on this planet is more limited than others who will likely be around much longer - perhaps that's the kind of world they will want and the kind of world I grew up in will be considered quaint
 
clownboy said:
And this is just a discussion forum. The point us that movie contains several elements that are germaine to the discussion at hand. Also germaine - Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, but then, that's just a book, right?
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Yeah, and then was the movie Demolition man with Snipes and Stallone......where they reprogrammed criminals while in suspended Animation. Funny movie. But the gist was they could take out or cause to repress what they classified as violent and criminal tendencies.
 
Viktyr Gehrig said:
World's first GM babies born | Mail Online

Personally, I consider this excellent news and I am disappointed in the Mail that they only chose to print quotes from people opposed to such measures. Because of this scientific breakthrough, thirty families have been blessed with children they could not otherwise have had.
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Fascinating. I shall have to delve into this at length; this could be most significant.
 
The most important thing our society needs is to be educated on the issues regarding genetic engineering. We are going to have to make some difficult practical and ethical choices regarding this technology and they cannot be made in ignorance. Don't rely on a sensationalist media or crappy science fiction movies to tell you what to think. At least read the damned wikipedia articles on the topic.
 
rathi said:
The most important thing our society needs is to be educated on the issues regarding genetic engineering. We are going to have to make some difficult practical and ethical choices regarding this technology and they cannot be made in ignorance. Don't rely on a sensationalist media or crappy science fiction movies to tell you what to think. At least read the damned wikipedia articles on the topic.
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Darn, I liked Gattaca, ok, the genetic discrimination was bad, but could happen and now you tell me not to rely on it. Pooh. I will still like the movie.
 
Gattaca anyone?
 
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