21–30 of 218 posts
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?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
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.
Top scientists would struggle to create a super disease today. Worrying that a kid will do it when the technology is commoditized is putting the cart well before the horse.
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.
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.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Indeed. DNA is the most fucking complex and complicated programming language. We have barely any understanding of how the whole thing hangs together, let alone how it's parsed and written, and how it all translates from stem cells to whole organs, an immune system, the complex interrelation between organs, the nervous system, the whole gamut. And that's not even touching on the nature of mind and consciousness in rel…
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.