ngrguardiannews.com — For years, molecular biologists and geneticists have trod gingerly around the most explosive topic of the new reproductive biology: purposely making genetic changes in people that would persist for generation after generation. Indeed, there were so many technological roadblocks to the process, called "germ line" genetic engineering ...
Nov 12, 2006 View in Crawl 4
jokerthiefNov 13, 2006
"Is that really something we want to see happening?"Yeah, that would be awesome. Why wouldn't you want to have the ability to improve your genetic code? Especially since now it's becoming increasingly clear that nature wins out in the old "nature vs nurture" debate. We are sitting on the edge of the next epoch in evolution and this is a very good, not bad, thing.
jonesinNov 13, 2006
So? We'd be designing people to be smarter, and with that increased intelligence would come the capacity to actually get us off the planet and start colonizing space.
amoiraeNov 13, 2006
This explains why we haven't seen the Bush twins in ages. They fixed the genetic defects in the twins and they ceased to exist!
gaijinNov 13, 2006
@djlosch"and remember that evolution happens over thousands of years, not your lifetime. you have to compare us with certain other pre-species of homosapien, and we are clearly, 100%, without a doubt, rediculously more intelligent, and we are getting taller."Obviously I'm not so stupid to think the evolutionary change occurs in a single lifetime. And I specifically referred to homo sap not any proto-human or "pre-species". This from a paper entitled "The Human Brain as a Preadaptive Factor in the Development in Culture" by Leo Estel: "Differences between prehistoric skeletal remains of Homo sapiens and the skeleton of modern Homo sapiens do not exhibit biological differences that would show an evolutionary change as regards intelligence. The cultural elaborations of early Homo sapiens indicate a cultural capacity equal to that of modern man."I think you may be confusing "knowledge" with "intelligence". If Einstein had never attended school or even learned to read, would he be any less intelligent? I think not."...the europeans would travel around the world bringing their dormant diseases that they had long developed immunities..."A "developed immunity" is not an evolutionary change. Antibodies developed from contact with a disease (or via vaccination) or passed from the mother's system to the child's is not something that occurs at the genetic level. When smallpox first made the rounds in Europe it was just as devastating in many populations there as it was later to the Native Americans. Within a generation the surviving natives were very nearly as resistant to smallpox as their European "guests". Was this an evolutionary change that occurred in a lifetime's span?As far as being taller, every study that I've seen has shown a direct correlation between height and nutrition. In fact, in the late 17th century and early 18th century average European height actually declined! Digs in Israel have uncovered skeletal remains dated to 100,000 to 90,000 years ago that measure 172cm in height. This individual is not remarkable in the context of other remains found at the same and nearby sites. You wouldn't even notice him in a crowd of Americans who currently average around 176cm.
polygoneNov 13, 2006
Gods work is infallible. You scientists think you're so smart. You can't prove that god didn't make you that way for a reason. It's all part of god's logical plan. If you really understood the bible, you'd know it is correct and true. You can't even disprove his existance. Our lord and savior probably had genetic defects and that's how god wanted it. Someday you'll see. Hope it's nice and toasty where you're going.Hehehee....that was too much fun.......back to reality.......
bernielomaxNov 13, 2006
The scientific link shows only shows there is a relation between health and perceived health. a healthy individual might give off healthy offspring; but healthy looking people might carry faulty genes. Just another indirect correlation. :) I find this interesting. How do they manufacture these? Computer chip eh...
bernielomaxNov 13, 2006
Hehe, I feel the control over such technology shouldn't be controlled. It should be free for all. : D(But inside I hope it doesn't turn out to be a bioshock)