I was looking on reddit for a science-related article and came upon this gem:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/george-church-explains-how-dna-will-be-construction-material-of-the-future-a-877634.html
Before I get into it, let me say that if you have not heard about reddit, it is basically a really cool website who's motto is 'The front page of the internet'. It's basically a big newspaper of the internet and is subdivided into 'subreddits' (such as /r/science which I found this article at) which allow you to follow different subjects you are interested in, after which it will put these articles about whatever you find relevant smack on the front page. It's pretty fantastic.
Secondly, for some background on the subject: A neanderthal is basically a split of the human race. I don't mean a race, such as the difference between African-Americans and Caucasians, for example, but an entirely different species of person that evolved from apes, like we did. They lived and made tools much like our cavemen did, but eventually died out. It's quite interesting to think of what world dynamic we would live in if they had not become extinct. Would we have eventually come to coexist with each other on earth eventually, would we eventually interbreed and combine into the same species? Or is a darker truth present: would there be a hostile attitude to our close relatives? It's not hard to believe, given our attitude to each other... but I digress.
On to the actual content of the blog: The main subject it covers is cloning a Neanderthal given the recent completion of its DNA. In short, now that scientists have its complete genetic code, we can simply put that genetic information bit by bit into a cell until its 100% Neanderthal-ified. We then put this Neanderthal embryo into a human mother and in 9(?) months, POOF! A species brought back from the dead. After the discussion on this specific application of genetic engineering, the scientist (George Church) and his interviewer delved into a much broader view of what could be done with this technology- such as, modifying humans with Neanderthal DNA or even giving rabbits wings! Church notes that while it is probably only possible to get the intact DNA of million-year old or younger fossils, it is feasible that older species (such as the dinosaurs) could be reverse engineered from birds or other relatives by simply looking at their structure and seeing what needs to be changed with specific mutations. It is fascinating to think that all this could be done in our lifetimes!
Throughout the article, both scientists discuss how the cloning of humans (Neanderthals count as such) is banned in Germany, the country the magazine article is from. I hate it when something like this gets in the way of improving our understanding of the world around us, but I suppose I understand. I would go more into this if I knew the nature and specific qualms that Germany has on genetic engineering, but I do not. My uninformed opinion is that restrictions such as these should not be put on science. Things such as 'playing God' is almost laughable to me. Did God not command us to take charge of this world, and our lives? If you disagree with me, where do you stop? Should we stop giving medicine to sick people and simply pray to God for them to be healed if it is his will? For surely prolonging someone's life by using the medicines derived from our intellects given by God is wrong? Delaying such breakthroughs in science is only delaying the inevitable.
ON TO THE FORTRESS:
I had a terrible encounter while on Dwarf Fortress. I mined into hell accidentally while trying to get the priceless adamantium hidden within the rock. Needless to say, I was immediately assaulted by a ridiculous amount of demon-spawn, their sheer number rivaled only by their power and variety of shapes and weapons. My traps proved useless, my military was almost as bad: they couldn't even finish off a snow monster! You read right: a monster made of snow, let's just ignore the fact that one could survive in the boiling heat of hell and focus on the fact that my dwarves, armed with STEEL weapons, couldn't slice through them. I feel that I don't need to tell you the entire fortress was slaughtered. Oh well, being the true wuss I am, I quit without saving, and next time I'll make sure to be ready when hell comes knocking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bim7RtKXv90
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3tidwW1gGM
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that the fact that we have become so intelligent as to genetically recreate an extinct race is fascinating, yet also very frightening. On one hand, extinction will no longer be a major "once they're gone, they're gone" kind of problem, but on the other, we, as humans, will have to distinguish appropriate times when this technology is appropriate and when it's not. We have to consider our moral values as a race before any such experimenting began, for we all share the world together.
ReplyDeleteWould bringing back the Neanderthals be cool? Yes. But would it be appropriate and logical? I'm not so sure. There are many things you'd have to take under consideration before you did. One, this species is extinct and extinct for a reason; it wasn't the "fittest", and as we all know, life's a survival of the "fittest". Two, what would their return do to our environment now? Humanity as a whole has already devastated the environment and we continue to do so. Is introducing an extinct species going to help? The consequences could be devastating. Three, Neanderthals aren't technically "human" yet close enough to be our genetic cousins. If we introduced this new species back into the world, what would their rights be? I can see that many religions, academic institutions, and national societies would have problems with it. Christianity, for example, has a history of calling it's believers the "Chosen People", and this has created many civil rights issues in the past that took centuries to overcome, and we're still not completely there yet. With the introduction of a new humanoid species, there would also be an introduction to a whole new set of problems.
Now, whether it's "playing God" or not, I don't know. I'm not a very religious person myself honestly and I don't have all the answers. But am I against the scientific innovations that we've made? No. But I believe that if one is going to step out into that field and experiment on something that risky, and potentially universally threatening, they must be prepared for the consequences. I mean, we're are still feeling the looming threat that hangs over all of our heads from the last great scientific advancement that happened almost 70 years ago, the invention of the atomic bomb.
I think that it is totally awesome and bad a** that we have figured out how to do this! I thing being like angel from the x-men would be fantastic, or even having little bunnies that could fly around. I really like your point on whether or not modern humans and neanderthals would be able to get along. It is my personal opinion that we would not be able to, however I would very much like to find out if I am right. Plus, dinosaurs coming back into the world would be pretty neat, assuming we could find a suitable host for them to mature in. Also, this research could go a long way to solving our endangered species issues. If you are not already familiar with it I suggest you look up the modern Noah's Arc idea being implemented, where a national DNA bank is being created for all the endangered animals in the world to eventually be recreated should they go extinct.
ReplyDeleteFurther I agree completely with your position on the "playing god" restrictions in science. They should be abolished and we should be able to move forward as we are naturally providing ourselves with the ability to be able to do.
As for your fortress, I was recently reading up on "fun", and while I see your pain I am still jealous. I have not yet even figured out how to dig up or down, even though I recognize those skills to be major points of the game. However I have discovered how to properly farm and am hoping to make great advancements soon. And remember, not every hole into hell causes demons to swarm up. In some instances they are perfectly happy floating around in the abyss. Happy hunting.