Hey all, I did a search on EC, but there is no mention of CRISPR so far. I recently read a news article about CRISPR, again. The news article is here: Probing how CRISPR-Cas9 works - ScienceDaily So, of course I can try my best to explain what CRISPR is, but I think it's much more fun (and informative) to give a video. The video underneath is called Genetic Engineering Will Change Everything Forever – CRISPR, by Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. It's a video of 16 minutes, but it's very informative to grasp what CRISPR is about. [YOUTUBE]jAhjPd4uNFY[/YOUTUBE] I really like these new discoveries and they could potentially solve many problems (more easily). Of course, as explained in the video, there are also certain downsides to these new developments (this is where the field of ethics kicks in). I'm curious about your opinion. What do you think of these new developments? Do you embrace them? Are you scared of them? Did you know about CRISPR already? Anything is welcome. I know it's not an easy topic and you don't have to respond, but I found these developments too important to not include on EC. =] Cheers, Quem
While I'm generally wary of gene editing, I see it as a wonderful new frontier for treating and possible "curing" many autoimmune diseases. Many of us suffer, in one way or another, from our own bodies attacking itself and this brings about hope for a healthier future.
Civilisation and technology are evolving far faster than human biology so I think gene editing and selection are essential for us to 'keep up' with the future that we are creating - one that is dominated by technology. I'm generally uncomfortable with what that will look like 20 years from now let alone 200 years from now. We've crossed the point of no return, in my honest opinion. I do think if science manages to combat ageing to the point where people are living for hundreds of years, then those people should be sterilised. The planet can't keep up as it is now. If people are living and living and consuming and consuming, then something has to be done to manage population levels. Unless we just build a massive space shuttle Elysium style and we all feck off and live forever on it instead.
I don't see any harm in this kind of research at all. Many "ethical" people out there accuse all those involved of "playing God". Fine. Let's play God. At least we can say that God exists then. However, I do think it's much too late for all those alive today to benefit from any findings from this research. We'll all be long forgotten by the time the scientists can make any substantial use from it. Maybe in the future our generation will be know as the last of the dying as in one hundred years' time people will potentially live indefinitely.
I really don't like the idea of people living for hundreds of years. What have we done to deserve to live longer than our natural time? Hundreds of species of plants and animals are dying out because of the pressure of human activity. Start messing about with our mortality rate and that pressure will undeniably get worse.
This video is incredibly imaginative in it's theories. I got a kick out of the pop culture references in the animation, Rick and Morty, Harry Potter, etc.
I didn't watch the video, but if I remember to later, I will. I learned a bit about CRISPR/Cas9 but I forget a few of the details. My opinion is it's pretty awesome. I think the potential to cure genetic diseases is a great thing. We should stay away from editing other things, though, such as embryos. Genes that will make us smarter or live longer... Hmm... It'll take a while to tease out the negative side effects so I don't think it would be mainstream for a long time but it may be okay if everyone has access. They're starting to use it in making GMO plants, and while it seems a more specific and therefore safer option for gene editing, I still disagree with releasing genetically engineering organisms into the wild...
Definitely, the things that gene editing (and CRISPR) can do.. I really look forward to new developments in this field of research, so many things that can be changed with this. =) Of course, that's where the problems lie as well, when is something "worth fixing" and when is this not the case? Surely makes an interesting debate. Definitely true, we're progressing so much when it comes to technology... It's only a matter of time until we find more effective ways to combat ageing. Living for hundreds of year (in a good shape, that is ) is something I'd like a lot. This world has a lot to offer, I don't see why anyone would think "enough is enough, I'm done here". Nah, that's not entirely true. That's a bit of a simplification of the ethical debate. There's a lot more to it than just the "it goes against some god(s)" argument. I'm not so sure if we won't be able to benefit from these findings, personally; this field of research is developing rather quickly. Yet, living indefinitely is not something that will be possible soon, I suppose. :lol: A cool! So they're teaching this at schools now, that's nice to hear! :icon_bigg I place questions such as "What have we done to deserve this?" in the category "interesting, but irrelevant". When does one decide whether we have deserved this or not? There is no one going to decide whether we deserve this or not, and even if there is someone, I bet most will not listen nor care. I really enjoy their videos! And yes, they put several references in their videos! Nice, right? Personally, I think we should be able to edit the genetic code of embryos as well, although we should have sufficient reasons to edit particular parts.. I mean, simply "changing some TA bonds to GC bonds to see what happens" is not something we should be pursuing, in my opinion. Releasing genetically engineerd organisms into the wild can be very dangerous and detrimental to the environment, due to the fact that they can disrupt (entire) ecosystems. They could have huge advantages, completely outperforming their competition. Introducing new organisms to new places should always be done with extreme caution.
I remember being pro-GMO a few years ago. Now I'm a sceptic, and this is fuel to my doubts. Designer babies? No, thank you. Creating a norm of equally perfect and identical offspring will ravage the idea of uniqueness and leave everyone conventional and dull. Also, if we are to make everyone immortal or prolong the human life, we must make sure to not reproduce as fast since our poor Earth only can take that much beating. Overpopulation is already a problem - let's not make it worse. Not to mention that these high-tech procedures undoubtedly will come at a hefty cost, meaning that only the ruling elite will reap the benefits, resulting in more inequality in our societies. Like we need more... If this science is to be implemented it must be regulated, regulated and regulated. If it isn't for all of us, it shouldn't be for anyone.
I quite like the idea, personally. I'm pretty much a defect by all means, my body doesn't always want to function and I haven't even reached the age of 20, I don't know how long I will live considering that. Where I'm currently located this isn't exactly rare and if such technology could become common, we might see less issues even worse than mine like cancer or tumors. I'll say full support, until they start trying to "breed super soldiers" or "purge the gay gene for Jesus" or "create the Aryan master race" or something. Nearly any sample of technology can be used for either good or bad, you just have to keep it out of the wrong hands.
