Deformities Alarm Scientists Racing to Rewrite Animal DNA • Hacker News Board

Re: Deformities Alarm Scientists Racing to Rewrite Animal DNA

#11

Post by PavlovsCat » Sat, Dec 22, 2018, 5:10 PM UTC

jf- wrote: post #4

mentos wrote: post #2

I think this could have far greater dangers in the creation of super diseases. How long until China turns this into a weapon by creating a virus with the spread of a common cold and the devastation of Ebola?

Something that would rapidly spread back into their own highly dense population centres and wipe them out? For the most part world leaders aren’t this stupid. Mostly.

World leaders are getting more stupid before our eyes though, it's not like this tech is only available until Christmas or something. Couldn't targetting specific ethnicities seem feasible enough at some point that someone just might try it?

Re: Deformities Alarm Scientists Racing to Rewrite Animal DNA

#12

Post by RRWagner » Sat, Dec 22, 2018, 5:13 PM UTC

jf- wrote: post #4

mentos wrote: post #2

I think this could have far greater dangers in the creation of super diseases. How long until China turns this into a weapon by creating a virus with the spread of a common cold and the devastation of Ebola?

Something that would rapidly spread back into their own highly dense population centres and wipe them out? For the most part world leaders aren’t this stupid. Mostly.

And what happens once discarded gene-editing technology is available to 14-year olds? There are few technologies in history, including nuclear, that haven't eventually been available to curious teenagers.

Re: Deformities Alarm Scientists Racing to Rewrite Animal DNA

#13

Post by jf- » Sat, Dec 22, 2018, 5:17 PM UTC

PavlovsCat wrote: post #11

jf- wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something that would rapidly spread back into their own highly dense population centres and wipe them out? For the most part world leaders aren’t this stupid. Mostly.

World leaders are getting more stupid before our eyes though, it's not like this tech is only available until Christmas or something. Couldn't targetting specific ethnicities seem feasible enough at some point that someone just might try it?

Look, I’m no big fan of China, but why do we suddenly think they’re out to commit genocide? Let’s calm down here.

Re: Deformities Alarm Scientists Racing to Rewrite Animal DNA

#14

Post by jf- » Sat, Dec 22, 2018, 5:19 PM UTC

RRWagner wrote: post #12

jf- wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something that would rapidly spread back into their own highly dense population centres and wipe them out? For the most part world leaders aren’t this stupid. Mostly.

And what happens once discarded gene-editing technology is available to 14-year olds? There are few technologies in history, including nuclear, that haven't eventually been available to curious teenagers.

> There are few technologies in history, including nuclear, that haven't eventually been available to curious teenagers.

...because the world has been ended by kids making their own nuclear weapons? What?

Re: Deformities Alarm Scientists Racing to Rewrite Animal DNA

#15

Post by johnchristopher » Sat, Dec 22, 2018, 5:22 PM UTC

nerdponx wrote: post #5

This just in: fucking with stuff we don't fully understand has negative consequences we don't fully understand. I'm grateful this is happening, otherwise our hubris might get too out if hand.

So, should we put laws in place to prevent that kind of fuck up or is the "whataboutinnovation" screaming horde already owning the debate ? /s

edit: it's a loaded question. It happened with the agro-industry and it's happening with the AI industry and the biotech industry right now.

Re: Deformities Alarm Scientists Racing to Rewrite Animal DNA

#16

Post by PavlovsCat » Sat, Dec 22, 2018, 5:24 PM UTC

jf- wrote: post #13

PavlovsCat wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

World leaders are getting more stupid before our eyes though, it's not like this tech is only available until Christmas or something. Couldn't targetting specific ethnicities seem feasible enough at some point that someone just might try it?

Look, I’m no big fan of China, but why do we suddenly think they’re out to commit genocide? Let’s calm down here.

Why are you putting words into my mouth, and then ask me to calm down? I asked a question, it was a serious one, so calm down and let someone have a honest shot at answering it.

I was responding to someone talking about world leaders, after all. And maybe targetting on not being an ethnicity would be possible to, but who knows? So it seems China might actually be more vulnerable to something like this, having so many Han Chinese. I have no clue with what that corresponds with genetically, if anything -- but how you get from what I said to "us" "suddenly thinking" that "China is out to commit genocide" you'd have to explain, the opposite seems much more "obvious" -- the most obvious thing to engage with would be with what I actually wrote though.

The overarching point here, to me, is maybe opening a pandora's box for a few benefits, most of which we could mostly have with good diet and being nice to each other, and possibly giant or species-ending drawbacks, might be a bad idea, and how "nobody would be so stupid because it would be indiscriminate" doesn't strike me as very convincing. Not even if it was necessarily indiscriminate I would be convinced by that, but let's just take that bit for granted. Why would it be indiscriminate though? Serious question, serious answers please.

Re: Deformities Alarm Scientists Racing to Rewrite Animal DNA

#17

Post by johnchristopher » Sat, Dec 22, 2018, 5:24 PM UTC

jf- wrote: post #4

mentos wrote: post #2

I think this could have far greater dangers in the creation of super diseases. How long until China turns this into a weapon by creating a virus with the spread of a common cold and the devastation of Ebola?

Something that would rapidly spread back into their own highly dense population centres and wipe them out? For the most part world leaders aren’t this stupid. Mostly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPBzj90Su8A

They irradiated their own planet ?

Re: Deformities Alarm Scientists Racing to Rewrite Animal DNA

#18

Post by jf- » Sat, Dec 22, 2018, 5:24 PM UTC

bicubic wrote: post #10

jf- wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something that would rapidly spread back into their own highly dense population centres and wipe them out? For the most part world leaders aren’t this stupid. Mostly.

Eh. With gene drives we already have the technology to selectively target or not target particular ethnic groups. Bio weapons are amongst the top threats we pose to ourselves as a species. There’s a youtube series by a guy who made a virus to cure himself of lactose intolerance via gene therapy, that was pretty eye opening. To go from what he did to making a targeted bioweapon is not that much of a leap. https://yout…

When you release something it becomes subject to natural selection. It would evolve to target everyone. It’s still dumb.

Re: Deformities Alarm Scientists Racing to Rewrite Animal DNA

#19

Post by aqme28 » Sat, Dec 22, 2018, 5:27 PM UTC

jf- wrote: post #14

RRWagner wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And what happens once discarded gene-editing technology is available to 14-year olds? There are few technologies in history, including nuclear, that haven't eventually been available to curious teenagers.

> There are few technologies in history, including nuclear, that haven't eventually been available to curious teenagers. ...because the world has been ended by kids making their own nuclear weapons? What?

I think he's talking about this incident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn

Backyard nuclear devices don't end the world, but can still cause a lot of harm. Superdiseases made in a garage might one day have civilization-crippling consequences.

Re: Deformities Alarm Scientists Racing to Rewrite Animal DNA

#20

Post by jf- » Sat, Dec 22, 2018, 5:27 PM UTC

PavlovsCat wrote: post #16

jf- wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Look, I’m no big fan of China, but why do we suddenly think they’re out to commit genocide? Let’s calm down here.

Why are you putting words into my mouth, and then ask me to calm down? I asked a question, it was a serious one, so calm down and let someone have a honest shot at answering it. I was responding to someone talking about world leaders, after all. And maybe targetting on not being an ethnicity would be possible to, but who knows? So it seems China might actually be more vulnerable to something like this, having so many…

Someone had their coffee today.