http://finance.yahoo.com/news/chinese-scientists-just-admitted-tweaking-205300657.html
"So the locus of code's dance is not only logic gates or the gleaming fields of random access memory; code also moves within the millions of humans who encounter its effects, not just programmers. Code already shapes the world of non-programmers and embeds itself into their bodies, into their experience of themselves, into lived sensation and therefore the realm of experience and aesthetics. Soon in the near future we will live inside an experience mediated by computers; all those science-fiction fantasies of eye-glasses that can layer data over what you see, of new means of sensing the world through android extensions of our bodies, all of these are already possible, they already exist.
And this is not all. We will program ourselves and the world we live in. Consider this: the four letters of the genetic alphabet that makes up DNA - A(adenine), C(cytosine), G(guanine), and T(thymine)-are really, quite literally, a programming language. And this language can be represented in binary code, which means that it can be manipulated by a computer. A recent article in the Atlantic lays out the process and the possibilities:
The latest technology - known as synthetic biology, or "synbio"- moves the work of biotechnology from the molecular to the digital. Genetic code is manipulated using teh equivalent of a word processor. With the press of a button, code representing DNA can be cut and pasted, effortlessly imported from one species into another. It can be reused and repurposed. DNA bases can be swapped in and out with precision. And once the code looks right? Simply hit Send. A dozen different DNA print shops can now turn these bits into biology."
The DNA print shop will send back several vials of "frozen plasmid DNA," which you will then inject into a host bacteria cell, causing this cell to "boot up" using the DNA code you've created. The cell will metabolize, gow and reproduce. Congratulations-you have just created a new form of life."
Geek Sublime, The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty
Vikram Chandra
I think using codes to tweak embryos and "create a new form of life" is amazing but insane. Technology is really involving and who knows what it will be able to do next in the future. "Soon in the near future we will live inside an experience mediated by computers; all those science-fiction fantasies of eye-glasses that can layer data over what you see, of new means of sensing the world through android extensions of our bodies, all of these are already possible, they already exist." I feel like people are going to start questioning the power of technology. Technology could evolve into something bigger than mankind itself. People will probably even start questioning their religion and life because technology can create humans too. I think it's okay to try new things and try to better the world but it could also harm us and become dangerous. I think using technology with human life situations should be handled carefully.
ReplyDeleteThere are serious moral and ethical implications. But what if we could create a human that could say, withstand the pressures of space travel? Would that make it easier to accept? Consider this, the world renown physicist Stephen Hawking recently proclaimed that humanity must figure out a way to colonize other planets or face extinction. http://bigthink.com/dangerous-ideas/5-stephen-hawkings-warning-abandon-earth-or-face-extinction
ReplyDeleteDoes this make you more inclined to support "tinkering" with human DNA.
http://bigthink.com/dangerous-ideas/5-stephen-hawkings-warning-abandon-earth-or-face-extinction
After reading the article I feel like this is something out of a sci-fi novel. There's something both incredible and unnerving about the fact that scientist can manipulate the human DNA. I'm all in for research of the human life form but I don't necessarily agree with the manipulation of embryos. Its amazing to think that this can be done using technology but I don't think it should be used to experiment with new life forms.
ReplyDeleteAs a person who is really into science and everything that is science fiction, I found to be really interesting and it reminded me of a really cool sci-fi movie called "GATTACA". It's set in the near future and it follows a guy named Vincent who is an "invalid" in his society and suffers from genetic discrimination b/c he is a natural- someone who was not conceived with a tweakedDNA to have the best hereditary traits from his parents. After hearing how many disorders he might have as child, his parents decided for their next child to do genetic tweaking. In this distant future, it is a common thing to do genetic manipulation and for those who aren't (the invalids), are discriminated against b/c they more prone to genetic disorders and therefore can't get professional jobs. Vincent (who wants to become an astronaut) tries to go against his odds by doing a drastic transformation by buying genes from a valid person and becoming he valid to get the job(ex: changing his hair & eye color, shortening his height to match the valid, washing off any of his genes & burning it in the incinerator as well as carrying the valid's blood,skin &urine)
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article, I think the Chinese have good intentions of trying to create a better society, but it has it drawbacks and could lead to an even bigger bio warfare. The Chines could tweak the DNA so much that the group of people that are born into this might all be allergic to one thing that could be deadly. If the public knows about this, specifically terrorist or there is a change of gov't, I feel like it could be the Holocaust all over again. This is also an example of the saying "don't fix something unless its broken" that message is not even heard today with climate change. However, I think this could be a good idea for bringing back extinct animals such as talks about bringing back the mammoth by changing the genetic code in an elephant embryo or (although insanely evil) Hitler bring back the Heck cattle.
ReplyDelete*bigger bio warfare meaning bigger than how the Mongols attacked other nations by throwing deceased infected bodies filled with the black plague to their enemies killing them not only with weapons but with a disease
DeleteGood MylesOfSmiles. Interesting story about the Wooly Mammoth. As the polar arctic melts, DNA that has been frozen in ice for centuries and has preserved fossils can be used to clone "new" creatures that have been extinct. Like the movie Jurassic Park.
ReplyDeleteIt is very intriguing to me that the Chinese can tweak human DNA with technology and that their tweaking could provide such an outcome. However I don't think it's right to tweak because their is a possibility of destroying it. I don't see why human DNA needs to be tweaked. I think it needs to be left alone because they were meant to be the way they appeared. I don't like the fact that human embryos can be tweaked and manipulated. I don't think that it is right for scientist to experiment with life by using technology. I don't think technology needs to be used with life forms. I think human DNA is meant to be left alone the way it is.
ReplyDeleteIt's very fascinating that they can use technology to create new life. It's amazing what technology can do however I think they should be extra careful when messing around with human DNA. By doing this it shows how far in technology we have developed but I think they should be careful with the DNA because they can contaminate it or even destroy it. I also don't think they should try to mess with our world just because it can be manipulated by the computer doesn't mean it should.
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