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The Odin – DIY genetic engineering

the-odin.com

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Re: The Odin – DIY genetic engineering

#71

Post by TEP_Kim_Il_Sung »

fabian2k wrote: post #43
bcherny wrote: post #7

Dumb question, as a layman vaguely scared by easy access to this kind of tech: how easy is it to engineer bad stuff using these kits? (say, drug resistant bacteria)

It's very easy to give bacteria certain antibiotic resistances, the mechanism is pretty much identical to the one used to make them green fluorescent in these kits. You transform the bacteria with a plasmid, they take this up and produce proteins from the genes on it. Those plasmids in the kit almost certainly have some antibiotic resistance on them anyway, that's the way you filter out the succesfully transformed ba…

Proliferation of plasmids caused the Big-Daddy rebellion.

Re: The Odin – DIY genetic engineering

#72

Post by SketchySeaBeast »

TEP_Kim_Il_Sung wrote: post #64
atemerev wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. There will be autonomous weapon platforms everywhere regardless of our desires, both from nation-states and non-state actors. To defend from them, you might want to understand how they work, and how they are built.

We have to fight Skynet from the inside!

Turns out the real Skynet was the friends we made along the way.

Re: The Odin – DIY genetic engineering

#73

Post by elil17 »

epups wrote: post #31
Idiot_in_Vain wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The same stupid argument applies to anyone who orders the kit - why not persue a degree in biology and get a job in a lab instead. Obviously the kit has many advantages. A terrorist organization, like ISIS can get their hands on a few kits, gather a few dozen smart guys and ask them to work day and night on creating say a "better" COVID virus they can spread in the West. They won't have problems supplying test subjec…

Alright but let's slow down a bit here... This kit is about plants, and it doesn't give you absolutely anything that those "few dozen smart guys" wouldn't have access to in a regular university. Meaning, if you have the inclination and resources to produce a deadly virus, this kit does not make it any easier.

Oh they sell a plant kit, but that is meant for practice. They also made a dog glow-in-the-dark. The guys at the Odin have done a lot of stuff on humans too. One of them tried (and failed) to give himself a gene that would have made him a incredibly muscular, and tried (and succeeded) in performing a microbiome transplant (as a cure for IBS). They have also tried (and failed) to do their own HIV treatment.

You're right about the university thing, though. It's never been that hard to get this equipment.

Re: The Odin – DIY genetic engineering

#74

Post by zxcvbnm »

when you program a computer usually there are instant feedback tools like graphic output, debugger, beeps... what I really miss with genetic hacking is this immediate feedback. Did I shake that liquid enough? How degraded was that agent? What is going on in that flask? It would be nice to have a super microscope ad observe, instead of guessing high level what's going on. Well my tomato doesn't glow, how can I debug what went wrong.

Re: The Odin – DIY genetic engineering

#75

Post by Sporktacular »

atemerev wrote: post #50
Sporktacular wrote: post #37

About Us: "At The ODIN, we believe the future is going to be dominated by genetic engineering and consumer genetic design will be a big part of that." At Cyberdyne Systems, we believe the future is going to be more autonomous, more intelligent and consumer built jet-powered laser-equipped battle bots will be a big part of that.

Yes. There will be autonomous weapon platforms everywhere regardless of our desires, both from nation-states and non-state actors. To defend from them, you might want to understand how they work, and how they are built.

Oh, so that's what Odin is doing. Ensuring a safe, ethical future for our children.

Autonomous weapons will literally be the result of our desires. Their absence could be as well, depending on what we do next. Making them go the way of bioweapons, blinding lasers or the neutron bomb will also require effective coordinated regulation, political will and cultural pressure, including publicly shaming those that seek to profit from the unethical use of new technologies.

Re: The Odin – DIY genetic engineering

#76

Post by scajanus »

zxcvbnm wrote: post #74

when you program a computer usually there are instant feedback tools like graphic output, debugger, beeps... what I really miss with genetic hacking is this immediate feedback. Did I shake that liquid enough? How degraded was that agent? What is going on in that flask? It would be nice to have a super microscope ad observe, instead of guessing high level what's going on. Well my tomato doesn't glow, how can I debug w…

This seems to be the case for most science: You poke around in the dark, illuminated by past discoveries, you might need to wait for new tools for observation to be developed, you come up with some theories that are partly correct but only the next generations will be able to prove/disprove them.

I've been enjoying listening to The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee, which details a lot how the discoveries of cellular biology only came when e.g. suitably high quality lenses, microscopes or microneedles could be manufactured. As such, many of the early cellular biologists were at least part craftsmen as well.

Similarly for genetics, there the speed of discovery has been limited by tools: For sequencing (esp. cheap enough and accurate enough to start from limited genetic material) as well as editing the genome.

Re: The Odin – DIY genetic engineering

#77

Post by Idiot_in_Vain »

oldgradstudent wrote: post #57
Idiot_in_Vain wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, a "regular university" signs up students right off the streets of Siria.

These are called regular Syrian universities and there are plenty of those.

Sure, and they are happy to sign up any number of ISIS members?

Re: The Odin – DIY genetic engineering

#78

Post by Ultimatt »

cosmojg wrote: post #45

People always forget—chemistry exists everywhere! And if a lab can buy it, you (probably) can too. Anyway, hopefully this goes somewhere and we start seeing more DIY scientists running amok. It's high time for move fast and break things, biology edition.

That would be a very bad idea, as what you break is fundamental reality around you. A lot of people on this thread really underestimate the level of care that's currently taken with the sorts of labs that are used and how controlled they are to prevent exposure. It's bad enough we have environmental collapse from all other industrial activity. It's not like engineering, or even chemistry and physics, one person doing something a bit slap dash really could end the entire world in very unobvious ways. If anything we should be reversing legislatively what's already happening with big agri companies doing artificial evolution to produce new seed stock against an engineered target.

Re: The Odin – DIY genetic engineering

#79

Post by Ultimatt »

bcherny wrote: post #7

Dumb question, as a layman vaguely scared by easy access to this kind of tech: how easy is it to engineer bad stuff using these kits? (say, drug resistant bacteria)

The question more generally how easy is it to engineer bad stuff, regardless of this kit. Easier than engineering good stuff!

Re: The Odin – DIY genetic engineering

#80

Post by atebyagrue »

atemerev wrote: post #3

I am their happy customer. I have successfully grown fluorescent yeast, and reproduced the CRISPR bacterial genetic modification protocol. Their support is awesome. It is also possible to e.g. buy an old qPCR machine and corresponding perishables (I was slightly scared when a DHL truck delivered me a cold box full of dry ice), and run even more interesting experiments at home. And, you can open an account at Sigma-Al…

Same here. Been a happy customer of theirs for years & even attended one of their Biohack the Planet conferences back before Covid. Everyone that I met who worked there was great. The team really goes above & beyond to make their customers happy and to promote citizen science.
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