Synthetic life

[Selkie]

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/05/scientists-create-first-self-replicating-synthetic-life/

What do you think? Good or bad?

Very positive article...
http://open.salon.com/blog/doug_socks/2010/06/09/synthetic_life_the_thrid_revolution


Less positive...
http://www.livescience.com/culture/Is-Synthetic-Life-Dangerous-100525.html


I think that it could truly revolutionize the way we live, and really transform our everyday way of wrecking the environment, and instead put us in harmony with nature. But of course, that will take centuries, many trials, and even more errors, to accomplish.

What we first need to do is lay the foundation by making a set of laws and regulations that govern the research and use of the technology. And make lots of diplomatic agreements and precautions.

[??????]

What we first need to do is lay the foundation by making a set of laws and regulations that govern the research and use of the technology. And make lots of diplomatic agreements and precautions.

aheuaheua like that would ever happen

[bluaki]

Let's start with making human-infecting bacterial diseases specifically designed to be as contagious and harmful as possible

The positive article seems to mention a ton of developments which may or may not be ever possible; while promising, those that are possible would each probably take decades of development to get anywhere. I especially doubt the practicality of any environmental usage. Negative article merely mentions a lot of "any scientific development is dangerous" stuff.

[Mobius135]

I think this could lead to a great decrease in the percent of hungry people there are in the world. Artificial food growth. Almost like farmers have been doing for years and "genetically" altering plants to yield greater results. The difference being that this would theoretically be like obtaining root access to that plant, modifying it at the smallest layer. A tree the size of a small pine that yeilds watermelon-sized apples. More efficient farming. No more worrying about harsh winters.

In the long term: Two artificial cells, living, join. Begin replicating. Evolution is slightly, accelerated. Would this creature learn to understand us, how would it act, what would it look like? Could you even call it a "creature"?

[The Hand That Fisted Everyone]

I think this could lead to a great decrease in the percent of hungry people there are in the world. Artificial food growth. Almost like farmers have been doing for years and "genetically" altering plants to yield greater results. The difference being that this would theoretically be like obtaining root access to that plant, modifying it at the smallest layer. A tree the size of a small pine that yeilds watermelon-sized apples. More efficient farming. No more worrying about harsh winters.

In the long term: Two artificial cells, living, join. Begin replicating. Evolution is slightly, accelerated. Would this creature learn to understand us, how would it act, what would it look like? Could you even call it a "creature"?

I would argue against genetically modifying plants. I don't believe that the modified plants are really healthy. Sure we may have a lot of food, but we might as well be eating garbage. There was a documentary called Food Inc that had a lot of information regarding the negatives of GM foods. I ate strictly organic for a little bit, and I honestly felt a whole lot better. My sister told me that many GM foods are linked to things such as depression and other psychological disorders. I also had a roommate who swears there was this guy who cured cancer by having his patients follow an intense organic vegetarian diet. I never saw any evidence of that but whatever.

[snoorkel]

sounds like we're finally coming full circle eh hhe

[silvertone]

I would argue against genetically modifying plants. I don't believe that the modified plants are really healthy. Sure we may have a lot of food, but we might as well be eating garbage. There was a documentary called Food Inc that had a lot of information regarding the negatives of GM foods. I ate strictly organic for a little bit, and I honestly felt a whole lot better. My sister told me that many GM foods are linked to things such as depression and other psychological disorders. I also had a roommate who swears there was this guy who cured cancer by having his patients follow an intense organic vegetarian diet. I never saw any evidence of that but whatever.

i read a book where they tried this and it helped the kid but then the kid died anyway lol. it was some author who wrote vacation books wrote it about his kid

[Socks]

what makes life artificial? if it's living and existing and evolving in perpetuity, i would argue it is no different than me and you in basis. but, the fact that is may not be dna based and or organic, if the latter is even possible, than it would be an entirely different strain of lifeforms and proves that there are many ways and configurations into which something can become and consist. it's all very profound, but i am not sure how significant, really.

[ncba93ivyase]

I would argue against genetically modifying plants. I don't believe that the modified plants are really healthy. Sure we may have a lot of food, but we might as well be eating garbage. There was a documentary called Food Inc that had a lot of information regarding the negatives of GM foods. I ate strictly organic for a little bit, and I honestly felt a whole lot better. My sister told me that many GM foods are linked to things such as depression and other psychological disorders. I also had a roommate who swears there was this guy who cured cancer by having his patients follow an intense organic vegetarian diet. I never saw any evidence of that but whatever.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/placebo%20effect

it's pretty unlikely that genetic modification of food really does anything different to us since its genes in no way affects ours. if you wanted to, you could cook a ten pound goat tumor and eat it for dinner and it won't give you cancer because cancer does not work that way. unless these genetically modified plants have a mutation that causes them to generate poison, it's unlikely to be any more dangerous than natural genetic mutations in organically grown food. it's pretty much just optimizing evolution.

my biggest issue with gmo is the fact that corporations can get patents on genes and abuse the out of it

but yes i am fully supportive of creating and modifying life unless it's a direct negative impact on our life. e.g. don't intentionally make diseases that can destroy humanity if one little germ gets loose, but do make disease-resistant corn and glow in the dark dogs and life that can survive on mars and new lifeforms that can benefit us in some way

[??????]

i never understood anti gmo besides what lawlz said (patents)
i mean, plants naturally go through evolution and humans have been manipulating that since thousands of years ago through selective breeding

i think people are afraid of gmo because it's new and no one knows what it does because no one has any concrete studies that goes beyond 90 years

[Socks]

i never understood anti gmo besides what lawlz said (patents)
i mean, plants naturally go through evolution and humans have been manipulating that since thousands of years ago through selective breeding

Thousands of years is the point, not overnight in a lab. In co-evolution you can't radically change one aspect while expecting the other not to be dramatically affected. Go eat your plastic corn and see what happens to you.

[??????]

Thousands of years is the point, not overnight in a lab. In co-evolution you can't radically change one aspect while expecting the other not to be dramatically affected. Go eat your plastic corn and see what happens to you.

i'm pretty sure 'plastic corn' is used in ~80% of all edible products that everyone consumes on the daily basis
and medicines were created in labs because they were more efficient than herbal rememdies 

[Kalahari Inkantation]

i've never really seen a compelling argument against the use of gmos lol

that corn may be "plastic", but i can see no reason why it'd be metabolized any differently than regular corn is, and just about every major study of gmo vs. non-gmo produce supports that assertion

there's little to no scientific evidence that they're unsafe for human consumption, and like clucky said about 80% of the corn and corn-based products (and everything is corn-based) you consume are already modified anyway

i guess i wouldn't be against labeling of gmo vs. non-gmo foods but there's really no reason to avoid them

My only real concern is that at some point, GMOs will give rise to superpests.

Anyway, what you should be avoiding, if you can, is textbook-evil corporations like Monsanto, but their influence on GMOs is so ubiquitous that doing so is nearly impossible.

[??????]

monsanto is my god because of how aggressively sadistic and aggressive they are 

[Socks]

i'm pretty sure 'plastic corn' is used in ~80% of all edible products that everyone consumes on the daily basis
and medicines were created in labs because they were more efficient than herbal rememdies 

i'm pretty sure 80% of the people who consume those things are overweight or obese and will at some point if they are not already suffer from debilitating lifestyle health issues and live a very terrible set of days. you act as if things are peachy. and, huh, i always thought death was the most efficient mechanism nature invented. you're sick? make way for those of us who are not. but hey, what do i know. i'm not the one profiting by the promise to 'make you better' by paying money to prolong your miserable sad life with pills and whatever else procedures you want to have. there are very little cures, which is the holy grail, because it's not really natural or profitable.