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Designer Babies on the Way?

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hmmmmm

 
blarg said:
[video]<embed src="http://www.cbsnews.com/common/video/cbsnews_player.swf" scale="noscale" salign="lt" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" background="#000000" width="425" height="279" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" FlashVars="pType=embed&si=254&pid=9OnghzOulFH1&url=http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/scientists-in-china-seek-genetic-roots-of-human-intelligence" />[/video]


hmmmmm
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Yes I known I had to fix the link. Now discussion about it can begin. :)
 
Broken link.

I'm going to assume that the article has to do with babies that were genetically modified before birth. I have no problem with this as long as it is state-funded, I don't want a GATTACA-like society to spring to life.
 
It is inevitable. It is also inevitable that we will make mistakes along the way.
 
engineering people would be good and it would be a shame to not ever do so

but I guess it could be misused to

the chinease don't seem to be attempting that yet looks like the most they might come up with this is screening embryos that result from random combinations of the parents dna
 
Goshin said:
It is inevitable. It is also inevitable that we will make mistakes along the way.
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I agree. But one thing the article brings up...and I'd have to think is the fundamental obstacle to overcome:

"This leap to that we're going to find an IQ gene, or we're going to find the human cognition gene is naive,"
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If there's been no luck in finding a sexual orientation gene, I'd image finding the gene that controls intellect and cognitive processes is going to be quite the task and I don't think any of us will be around to know if and when such a discovery takes place.

It is, however, pretty amazing at the gene slicing and dicing now done to supposedly improve foods, which nobody wants to eat.
 
Robbie Loucks said:
Broken link.

I'm going to assume that the article has to do with babies that were genetically modified before birth. I have no problem with this as long as it is state-funded, I don't want a GATTACA-like society to spring to life.
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I fixed the link just a bit ago.

Also, the article talks about finding the human intelligence gene. So what they did was get samples from people with IQ's over 140 and math wizards and are trying to pin point intelligence and like you said make it up to the point if a couple wants a infant with high intellect they would be capable of doing so.
 
Removable Mind said:
I agree. But one thing the article brings up...and I'd have to think is the fundamental obstacle to overcome:



If there's been no luck in finding a sexual orientation gene, I'd image finding the gene that controls intellect and cognitive processes is going to be quite the task and I don't think any of us will be around to know if and when such a discovery takes place.

It is, however, pretty amazing at the gene slicing and dicing now done to supposedly improve foods, which nobody wants to eat.
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I'm okay with frankenfoods, as long as they are thoroughly tested... and I'm okay with human genetic engineering, as long as it is well-tested and we're careful and don't try to create an 'uber-race'... though I suspect someone WILL try that at some point. Interesting times no doubt.

But yeah, we're probably going to find that "intelligence" is too complicated to be assigned to one gene or simple sequence of genes. I suspect it will turn out to be related to various combinations of genes and EXPRESSIONS of those genes, as well as pre-natal environment, early exposure to learning and cognitive operations, and so on... I doubt any megalocephalic super-brains will be created any time soon.
 
I think payday will be associated with creating artificial intelligence that resembles and functions like humans.

And use the genetic altering talents to overcome human disease and birth defects.
 
Goshin said:
It is inevitable. It is also inevitable that we will make mistakes along the way.
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This. Frankly, I think it'll ultimately wind up being for the best in the long run as well.

For the first time in history, humanity will have the ability to basically "edit" some it's oldest flaws out of the gene pool.

The possibilities for what could be accomplished here are virtually endless. You name it - increased intelligence, longer life spans, reduced inclination towards violence, addiction, and criminality, lower disease rates, painless (or, at the very least, significantly pain reduced) child birth - it all could be made possible through genetic engineering.

Making sure that this power was not abused would be the only real problem.
 
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GEIxBattleRifle said:
Hello everyone.

When I was looking throughout the internet here this morning, I found a interested article about China's attempt to unravel human intelligence.

"Designer babies" on the way? In China, scientists attempt to unravel human intelligence - CBS News

Discuss?
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I'm glad I won't be alive as humanity "progresses" down this road. It troubles me in many ways. I'd say that anyone who is in a minority that is genetically based should be concerned that people like them may be "filtered" out sometime down the road.

Let's look at one situation that may be very controversial in time - it seems to be a given now, in the minds of the majority, that homosexuality is genetic and not environmental. How will people feel if, in time, the genetic marker for homosexuality is discovered and it is used to weed out the defect. It's not a big step from aborting babies based on sex to aborting babies based on sexuality.

Scientific progress is not always for the betterment of mankind.
 
CanadaJohn said:
I'm glad I won't be alive as humanity "progresses" down this road. It troubles me in many ways. I'd say that anyone who is in a minority that is genetically based should be concerned that people like them may be "filtered" out sometime down the road.

Let's look at one situation that may be very controversial in time - it seems to be a given now, in the minds of the majority, that homosexuality is genetic and not environmental. How will people feel if, in time, the genetic marker for homosexuality is discovered and it is used to weed out the defect. It's not a big step from aborting babies based on sex to aborting babies based on sexuality.

Scientific progress is not always for the betterment of mankind.
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Actually that is probably single most argued point against advances made in genetic alterations...well, by the gay community. And they could be right.
 
GEIxBattleRifle said:
Are you into transhumanism by any chance?
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I've studied the theory/movement/ideology of transhumanism, and find it quite interesting... but I think there are some fundamental flaws in it, mainly around excessive enthusiasm and overly optimistic assumptions relating to AI, cybernetic neural interfaces, nano- and bio-tech.


In the 1950's, "Atomic" was a word to conjure with... that is, to conjure up unimaginable effects and explain them away with a word. These days, the buzzwords are "quantum", "Nano", "Bio" and "AI"... and they will probably turn out to have limits well short of the most overenthused assumptions made about them, just as "Atomic" did.
 
Goshin said:
I'm okay with frankenfoods, as long as they are thoroughly tested... and I'm okay with human genetic engineering, as long as it is well-tested and we're careful and don't try to create an 'uber-race'... though I suspect someone WILL try that at some point. Interesting times no doubt.
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I hope you don't mind if I bring science fiction into this. We could create life forms like this some day as well. Watch at 1:00 to 2:20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNxGn8v-dmA
 
Removable Mind said:
Actually that is probably single most argued point against advances made in genetic alterations...well, by the gay community. And they could be right.
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We could go all kinds of directions - don't want left handed babies, gone - don't want redheads, gone - imagine all the people not allowed to live if the genes related to alzheimers ever becomes known - and on and on.
 
GEIxBattleRifle said:
I hope you don't mind if I bring science fiction into this. We could create life forms like this some day as well. Watch at 1:00 to 2:20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNxGn8v-dmA
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I suspect we will dabble in 'creating' (more like, heavily modifying) lifeforms at some point... ever read "Uplift", or "the Reality Dysfunction"? Interesting speculation on biotech and genetic sciences in the future.
 
I question whether human kind has the wisdom yet to engineer themselves. I kinda doubt it, so I think there are things that we shouldn't be doing.
This is one of them.
 
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