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CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

npr.org

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Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You want something that replicates in the environment and removes carbon? We have those. They're called "plants."

> They’re called “plants.” Incidentally, CRISPR + plants is one of the most promising solutions to climate change: https://www.ted.com/talks/joanne_chory_how_supercharged_plan...

If food crops are engineered to grow big, carbon sequestering roots, how will we determine whether the quality and safety of the food is unaffected?

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The record breaking temperatures that I'm suffering in the PNW right now serves as a grim reminder that we won't have much of a future, even with all this cool tech.

Stop with the doom trolling and get busy inventing solutions.

Technical solutions are often ineffective when faced with obstacles of politics or cutting corners to make money.

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#113
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> releasing edited bacteria or viruses. From what I understand it’s hard to order the sequences of DNA or RNA you’d need for this without someone noticing. It’s probably not impossible, but not something anyone is going to bungle into.

I am 100% pro bio hacking, I would go as far as to say that I think the bio hacking community might be the only place I can see solutions to our largest problems coming from. I mean the bio hacking community too, not acedemia. Not that acedamia isn’t crucial to that process. Anyway, Maybe a few years ago the barrier to entry was too high for most people but that is so not the case anymore. Even just this year a frien…

I think the key here is that you have to be doing something novel, which seems like a high bar. Like you can order the DNA for small pox. No one will fulfill that. But it does seem like a determined, over-educated would-be bioterrorist could pull this off with COTS equipment in the very near future, maybe.

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#114
post #43

>Doctors infused billions of microscopic structures known as nanoparticles carrying genetic instructions for the CRISPR gene-editor into four patients in London and two in New Zealand. The nanoparticles were absorbed by their livers, where they unleashed armies of CRISPR gene-editors. The CRISPR editor honed in on the target gene in the liver and sliced it, disabling production of the destructive protein. this is one…

The record breaking temperatures that I'm suffering in the PNW right now serves as a grim reminder that we won't have much of a future, even with all this cool tech.

So what then? We should throw our hands in the air and give up? Take the good news as it comes.

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#115
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> releasing edited bacteria or viruses. From what I understand it’s hard to order the sequences of DNA or RNA you’d need for this without someone noticing. It’s probably not impossible, but not something anyone is going to bungle into.

That's what is usually said. I don't think I've actually heard of this getting triggered. I'd like to think that global governments have this totally under control. Maybe the US does, but does China? In any case so far it's seemed like a whole "this rock keeps away Tigers" sort of thing.

I think it more a result of companies that synthesize the raw material being unwilling to whip up things like SARS variants, and it being quite difficult to figure something out like that from scratch. That may change or turn out to be incorrect, this is just my understanding at the moment.

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You want something that replicates in the environment and removes carbon? We have those. They're called "plants."

> They’re called “plants.” Incidentally, CRISPR + plants is one of the most promising solutions to climate change: https://www.ted.com/talks/joanne_chory_how_supercharged_plan...

Thank you for your patronizing response to the above poster.

The problem is to do with things called "numbers".

1. There is no spare land to devote to CC. You could do this only at the cost of poor people's food supply.

2. The rate at which plants remove CO2 from the air is very low. Far too low to solve the problem.

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#117
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is the line of reasoning that leads to banning abortions*. People have a right to alter their bodies. EDIT: and preventing young women from choosing sterilization.

How do you reason that people have the (presumably absolute) right to alter than bodies however they please? How do you justify that claim? It makes very specific assumptions which are very problematic. For example, do you have the right to lobotomize a perfectly healthy brain? It is immoral? Can you say you have the right to do something immoral? How about altering your uterus during pregnancy to prevent nutrients f…

If you don't have the right to your own body, then there aren't rights. It's the axiom.

I'm in favor of drug use (at least almost all), tattoos, body modifications, trying experimental medicine, everything that affects your body. I can see drawing the line at "doing this thing could become a contagion so you can only do it in BSL-4 isolation". But it's your body, your life, you want to spend it stoned or a voluntary amputee or whatever so long as don't take from me, then you should be free to do so.

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#118

Wonder how long it will be until this is used to enhance rather than just to cure. Eg selective fast twitch / slow twitch muscle fibres.

Something like this? https://www.studyfinds.org/superhero-vaccine-olympic-dna-eua...

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#119
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Precisely. Otherwise if we're going to walk the line of "well even though it's your body, 'us smarter people' say it's bad for you there for you cannot do it" will inevitably lead to the logic of dictating abortion rights as well. This is exactly the logic conservatives use with the Covid Vaccines but because liberals "know what's good for everyone," people shouldn't be allowed to make the "my body my choice" when it…

I didn't say you have the right to not alter your body, the public health requirements for contagious diseases seemed reasonable until people have started lumping gun control and "possibly altering your non-existent children"... maybe I'll one day feel as you do.

And those restrictions should only apply to people in the public; if you choose to live off the land somewhere isolated, then those requirements should not apply to you.

Re: CRISPR gene-editing breakthrough opens door to treating broad array of diseases

#120
post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They’re called “plants.” Incidentally, CRISPR + plants is one of the most promising solutions to climate change: https://www.ted.com/talks/joanne_chory_how_supercharged_plan...

If food crops are engineered to grow big, carbon sequestering roots, how will we determine whether the quality and safety of the food is unaffected?

Mass spectrometry and similar analysis methods to look for unexpected proteins in the food parts, followed by feeding the food parts to animals and seeing what happens.
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