Lets allow genetic engineering for humans

[Vagrant0]

I think we need to step out of science fiction for a bit. Genetic data isn't nearly that precise or unlimited. Even if research were complete, there would be many things which would not be possible quite so cleanly.

 

Things like allowing people fly with wings would likely come with a hefty cost. Afterall, wings aren't just random limbs which have sprouted from the backs of birds, they have evolved or been designed by utilizing existing structures, namely forelimbs. Eat some buffalo wings some time, you'll notice similar bone structure with your own arm (save fingers). So, in exchange for having wings, you would likely not have any arms. Now, since human physiology also tends to be on the rather bulky side, muscle mass and bone density, and length in other parts of the body would need to be reduced significantly in order to allow the muscles which work the wings to be strong enough to lift the body. As flight would also require alot of energy, lung volume, heartrate, and metabolism would also need to increase. As the body would need a constant supply of oxygen to function, the airway and mouth would need to be enlarged. As the creature now has no arms or hands to feed itself with, the mouth would need to protrude from the face. As flight requires a good amount physical coordination and heightened sensation, the motor and sensory cortex, as well as the eyes/ears would likely need to be increased in relation to things like the parts of the brain linked to memory, and language sections would likely need to be reduced since the creature would no longer be capable of speech. All of this ignoring all the potential chances of abnormalities, or conflicts. In short... in order to fly like a bird or a bat, you would essentially have to BE a bird or a bat. It's not just one system which allows flight, but a whole host of systems built around eachother.

 

Additionally, one gene can be linked to many different traits, so even something as mundane as allowing for naturally green hair could come with deformities, immune system complications, or other quirks.

 

As for the whole "make people smarter" end of things, I really don't think that aspect of biology should be something we try to force. While we only use 10% of our brains at any time consciously, that other 90% is certainly being used by other processes in order to keep our body functioning, or maintaining all of that wonder that allows us to be. Put simply disrupting such a balance could have horrible results.

 

As with all things in nature, it wouldn't exist if there wasn't a very good reason for it existing, genetics are no exception. Although there are still many good and practical applications for genetic engineering in humanity, the outlandish and "fun" stuff really isn't one of them.

[Retribution]

I think we need to step out of science fiction for a bit. Genetic data isn't nearly that precise or unlimited. Even if research were complete, there would be many things which would not be possible quite so cleanly.

 

Things like allowing people fly with wings would likely come with a hefty cost. Afterall, wings aren't just random limbs which have sprouted from the backs of birds, they have evolved or been designed by utilizing existing structures, namely forelimbs. Eat some buffalo wings some time, you'll notice similar bone structure with your own arm (save fingers). So, in exchange for having wings, you would likely not have any arms. Now, since human physiology also tends to be on the rather bulky side, muscle mass and bone density, and length in other parts of the body would need to be reduced significantly in order to allow the muscles which work the wings to be strong enough to lift the body. As flight would also require alot of energy, lung volume, heartrate, and metabolism would also need to increase. As the body would need a constant supply of oxygen to function, the airway and mouth would need to be enlarged. As the creature now has no arms or hands to feed itself with, the mouth would need to protrude from the face. As flight requires a good amount physical coordination and heightened sensation, the motor and sensory cortex, as well as the eyes/ears would likely need to be increased in relation to things like the parts of the brain linked to memory, and language sections would likely need to be reduced since the creature would no longer be capable of speech. All of this ignoring all the potential chances of abnormalities, or conflicts. In short... in order to fly like a bird or a bat, you would essentially have to BE a bird or a bat. It's not just one system which allows flight, but a whole host of systems built around eachother.

 

Additionally, one gene can be linked to many different traits, so even something as mundane as allowing for naturally green hair could come with deformities, immune system complications, or other quirks.

 

As for the whole "make people smarter" end of things, I really don't think that aspect of biology should be something we try to force. While we only use 10% of our brains at any time consciously, that other 90% is certainly being used by other processes in order to keep our body functioning, or maintaining all of that wonder that allows us to be. Put simply disrupting such a balance could have horrible results.

 

As with all things in nature, it wouldn't exist if there wasn't a very good reason for it existing, genetics are no exception. Although there are still many good and practical applications for genetic engineering in humanity, the outlandish and "fun" stuff really isn't one of them.

Not to mention some of your bones would be hollow.

[AncientSpaceAeon]

Genetic engineering . . .

 

Then we probably can see superheroes . . . and supervillains . . . and chaos.

 

As for the whole "make people smarter" end of things, I really don't think that aspect of biology should be something we try to force. While we only use 10% of our brains at any time consciously, that other 90% is certainly being used by other processes in order to keep our body functioning, or maintaining all of that wonder that allows us to be. Put simply disrupting such a balance could have horrible results.

I'm not saying we should use 100% of our brain (conscious), about 12%-14% is already nice. It's also nice to have an ability to read 1100 words for a minute (I found one on the internet).

[Vagrant0]

It's also nice to have an ability to read 1100 words for a minute (I found one on the internet).

Erm... You can already do that with enough practice. I was up to around 750 or so in highschool, and that was only after a semester of a speed reading class. I'm down to around 340 now, but that's really more to do with lack of practice and more difficult texts. The human body and mind can do extraordinary things if it has been trained well enough. As far as reading goes, your eyes take in quite alot more information from a glance than you usually realize simply because you are not in a habit of paying attention.

 

As far as thinking, this has more to do with how you break down that information into words, names, concepts or values, and your practice in working with those mediums than anything genetic. Each medium has its own areas where it is either advantageous or disadvantageous, and people tend to most often rely on those mediums they have used most often. This is why you will often find people who are great at understanding concepts or formulas, but don't do so well with words or names unless it's been converted. It's also why people who are skilled at remembering names and can quickly combine words aren't always the best at explaining anything which was not already explained to them using similar language. Or atleast that's my theory of how things work.

[UncleRoe]

Knowing how human nature works.. do any of you honestly think we are going to shy away from human engineering? It's in human code to mess with things beyond our understanding while at the same time telling everyone else " it's alright.. i know what i'm doing"

 

 

Our brains get us into SO much trouble.. lol

[roguim]

@Uncle Roe

yeah you get a point, the human curiosity will "allow" us to begin with human genetic engineering.

It's something we don't understand completely sure, but was the same thing with for exempla the first trys to create airplanes, the first vaccins.

 

So back to the topic, i'am favor of the concept,that can be useful for cure diseases and even avoid it ( like for example cancer) about the enhance intelligence IIRC the history about we only use 10% of the brain is a mith, we use all of our brain capacity in different ways from person to person. and the only way to make us enhnce the Bran capacity or intelligence is make ours brains "bigger". Thas happens in the evolution, but the process may be acelerate with genetic engineering.

 

But i'am afraid of a "Gattaca" scenario , where the genetic enginerring make possible knows if a person have tendencies for some disease and the health-insurance 's companies don't accept them, companies don't accept either etc..

Not to mention the possibility of dictator use it as new type of ethnical cleansing...

Only to show how much we are in a ethical grey area.

[rbrophy2]

I think we need to step out of science fiction for a bit. Genetic data isn't nearly that precise or unlimited. Even if research were complete, there would be many things which would not be possible quite so cleanly.

 

Things like allowing people fly with wings would likely come with a hefty cost. Afterall, wings aren't just random limbs which have sprouted from the backs of birds, they have evolved or been designed by utilizing existing structures, namely forelimbs. Eat some buffalo wings some time, you'll notice similar bone structure with your own arm (save fingers). So, in exchange for having wings, you would likely not have any arms. Now, since human physiology also tends to be on the rather bulky side, muscle mass and bone density, and length in other parts of the body would need to be reduced significantly in order to allow the muscles which work the wings to be strong enough to lift the body. As flight would also require alot of energy, lung volume, heartrate, and metabolism would also need to increase. As the body would need a constant supply of oxygen to function, the airway and mouth would need to be enlarged. As the creature now has no arms or hands to feed itself with, the mouth would need to protrude from the face. As flight requires a good amount physical coordination and heightened sensation, the motor and sensory cortex, as well as the eyes/ears would likely need to be increased in relation to things like the parts of the brain linked to memory, and language sections would likely need to be reduced since the creature would no longer be capable of speech. All of this ignoring all the potential chances of abnormalities, or conflicts. In short... in order to fly like a bird or a bat, you would essentially have to BE a bird or a bat. It's not just one system which allows flight, but a whole host of systems built around eachother.

 

Additionally, one gene can be linked to many different traits, so even something as mundane as allowing for naturally green hair could come with deformities, immune system complications, or other quirks.

 

As for the whole "make people smarter" end of things, I really don't think that aspect of biology should be something we try to force. While we only use 10% of our brains at any time consciously, that other 90% is certainly being used by other processes in order to keep our body functioning, or maintaining all of that wonder that allows us to be. Put simply disrupting such a balance could have horrible results.

 

As with all things in nature, it wouldn't exist if there wasn't a very good reason for it existing, genetics are no exception. Although there are still many good and practical applications for genetic engineering in humanity, the outlandish and "fun" stuff really isn't one of them.

I agree but what i was thinking is to take a cell from another living animal like a bird take a cell from it and implant it into the human body due to Mitosis the cell will split and reproduce therfore causing a mutation now for this to be genatic you would have to wai and see if the subject child would have the same mutation therfore it is possible to have claws by taking the cells from a bears claw and put it into the human hand however the reaction would most likely go wrong bad things would happen

[roguim]

@rbrophy2

This won't work, the defences of our organism will see the implated cell as a strange body and try to destroy it.

Take for example a transplant of organ the person who receive it must take a lot of medicine to avoid rejection by the body's defence cells.

So to your example to have a small chance to work the subject will have to take lot's of medicine to repress his system. Something that will make vulnerable to diseases.

And even with this this type of "injection" won't work, we already have billions and billion of others lifes cells in our body ( microorganism, the food, etc..) and we don't absorve their DNA.

[rbrophy2]

@rbrophy2

This won't work, the defences of our organism will see the implated cell as a strange body and try to destroy it.

Take for example a transplant of organ the person who receive it must take a lot of medicine to avoid rejection by the body's defence cells.

So to your example to have a small chance to work the subject will have to take lot's of medicine to repress his system. Something that will make vulnerable to diseases.

And even with this this type of "injection" won't work, we already have billions and billion of others lifes cells in our body ( microorganism, the food, etc..) and we don't absorve their DNA.

What about viruses they insert dna into cells if we were to make a good virus (wed have to kill all of the white blood cells and keep them in a clean room) it would insert the dna from a bird and over the years their great grandchildren might have noticeable changes its fail proof See im great you just got to realize it

[Vagrant0]

What about viruses they insert dna into cells if we were to make a good virus (wed have to kill all of the white blood cells and keep them in a clean room) it would insert the dna from a bird and over the years their great grandchildren might have noticeable changes its fail proof See im great you just got to realize it

Erm, it doesn't work like that. Not only would you have generations which would be incapable of existing outside that environment, but you also open up many horrible possibilities for those outside. Not sure if you've been paying attention, but humanity has a rather bad success record when it comes to controlling or containing a virus. And those are natural viruses which aren't designed to screw with people's DNA. Something like this would be an absolutely horrible idea.