22 replies to this topic

[science man]

Hey guys, I've seen this subject being talked about before. I just have two quick questions about it. The first is very obvious, when will it be possible? And second, can it only be done to people before they're born or can it be done to a person at any age?


EDIT: P.S. Sorry I've been gone. I've been busy with school.

Edited by science man, 20 May 2012 - 03:13 AM.

[Alric]

We can already do it to some degree today, so it will probably not be that long before it becomes more mainstream and stuff. It will probably be done with babies first but eventually the same things will be able to be done on adults. There is actually people looking into it even today, on using like nanobots to inject changes into the cell and stuff. It is all very early work, but shows that it probably isn't as far off as some might think.

[eacao]

Gene therapies are already in use for some illnesses. one of them is cystic fibrosis where chlorine is transported across the lung membranes which causes a mucous secretion. The long and the short is that it suffocates you. It's caused by a faulty gene and gene therapy or genetic engineering is already being used as treatment. I hope you've also heard about researches in Spain, at CNIO having extended the lifespan of developed mice with gene therapy. This is really amazing because it means that in the future, an injection carrying a vector for telemorase can extend your lifespan. As an adult, you could go into a clinic and with an injection, your life could be extended and youth returned.

[CyberMisterBeauty]

Well,I think 100 years from now genetic engineering will be as common as changing the color of the hair today.I've read that the problem with genetic engineering is to change the genome of a grown-up you would have to change the caracteristics of all cells in a person's body(A human being have around 100 trillion cells-the brain alone have 1 trillion cells).But genetic engineering can be done in a person of any age.(vide gene therapy that Eacao said).

By the way,there are differences between gene therapy and genetic engineering.The objective of gene therapy is to cure genetic deseases and disorders,like muscular deseases like Deushenne(by the way,cientists are working on a drug that have a virus that turn off myostatin gene and then increasing muscle mass).Meanwhile,genetic engineering is to enhance/change the caracteristics of a lifeform give them powers,appearance and capabilities that isn't part of that genome's being,like get genetic engineering to see ultraviolet and infrared radiation,or having greater sight or hearing.

By the way,I created a very nice topic talking about the possibilities of genetic engineering of dividing people into different races:

http://www.futuretimeline.net/forum/topic/2052-will-genetic-engineering-divide-humans-into-different-species/

Edited by CyberMisterBeauty, 20 May 2012 - 02:12 PM.

[science man]

I hope it's perfected within the next few decades. If so, I'd extend my lifespan and even reverse my aging process. I'd also use it to increase my intelligence at least 100 fold. Imagine being able input into a computer the IQ you want your child to have.

[Logically Irrational]

I think a lot of the genetic engineering later this century will have to do with merging humans and machines in some way. In most cases, I think augmenting intelligence, for example, would be done with a combination of nanorobotics and genetic engineering.

This level of genetic control will likely arrive sooner than we think, mainly because there are so many strong driving forces behind the science now. We're finally starting to get legitimate breakthroughs in anti-aging, so once it begins grow in the public mind it will push things forward nicely. Then there's things like curing disease and engineering alternative biofuels. I would argue that genetics has even greater potential for exponential growth than computers, primarily since it doesn't rely on scarce natural resources nearly as much.

[SG-1]

I just hope the governments don't put a bottle on research. I would be outraged if anti-aging was illegal, or it took longer than my lifespan to legalize it.

In which case, I would go get it done illegally and live in a cave until it was legal, because, screw aging.

[Logically Irrational]

I just hope the governments don't put a bottle on research. I would be outraged if anti-aging was illegal, or it took longer than my lifespan to legalize it.

In which case, I would go get it done illegally and live in a cave until it was legal, because, screw aging.

I think you just showed why it would be nigh impossible to outlaw an aging treatment. Can you imagine what people would do for a chance at virtual immortality, or how many people would try and get it? I can't imagine a government managing to outlaw it once it's know to exist. If they did, they would either get overthrown, or create one of the most lucrative black markets in history, a la prohibition.

[SG-1]

Yeah, I was just explaining the dystopian view on it. I don't think it would happen, maybe a delay for FDA approval or something.


The alcohol prohibition went well

[Logically Irrational]

The alcohol prohibition went well

Indeed

[science man]

I think a lot of the genetic engineering later this century will have to do with merging humans and machines in some way. In most cases, I think augmenting intelligence, for example, would be done with a combination of nanorobotics and genetic engineering.

This level of genetic control will likely arrive sooner than we think, mainly because there are so many strong driving forces behind the science now. We're finally starting to get legitimate breakthroughs in anti-aging, so once it begins grow in the public mind it will push things forward nicely. Then there's things like curing disease and engineering alternative biofuels. I would argue that genetics has even greater potential for exponential growth than computers, primarily since it doesn't rely on scarce natural resources nearly as much.

When you say computers run on scarce resources, do you mean the fact that they run electricity which is currently mostly produced by burning fossil fuels? If so, that has nothing to do with computers themselves. That has to do with the fact that no alternative such as water or wind hasn't become extremely populated yet. (believe me, I wish they did a long time ago) If that's not what you mean then please elaborate.

[Logically Irrational]

i mean the gold and rare earth metals and things like that are needed to make the chips and circuits. Electricity I'm not worried about. Although, now that I think about it, biotechnology relies on the same stuff to a large extent, so that probably undermines my point.

[science man]

i mean the gold and rare earth metals and things like that are needed to make the chips and circuits. Electricity I'm not worried about. Although, now that I think about it, biotechnology relies on the same stuff to a large extent, so that probably undermines my point.

Aw gotcha. Well hopefully we won't run out before the 2030's (quantum computers)

[tornado64]

We will never run out of rare earth metals, they could just become more expensive. There not rare at all.

Maybe we could mine precious metal asteroids at 2030.

Edited by tornado64, 23 May 2012 - 09:03 AM.

[science man]

We will never run out of rare earth metals, they could just become more expensive. There not rare at all.

Maybe we could mine precious metal asteroids at 2030.

When I took chemistry one semester I wondered if we could change the chemical composition of anything and turn it into anything. I remember the answer I got from my professor was no but I don't remember why. Hopefully that reason will disappear in the future cause I don't see why it can't be done.

[Zeitgeist123]

or we can mine rare earth metals in large dumping sites a la wall-e.

[Italian Ufo]

• Genetic engineering will involve large public and ethical debate. it won't be that simple even if we find a way to enhance our skills. I think that in the future they will give to each person a determined degree of gene modification. Especially when money they will still be around.

[tornado64]

We will never run out of rare earth metals, they could just become more expensive. There not rare at all.

Maybe we could mine precious metal asteroids at 2030.

When I took chemistry one semester I wondered if we could change the chemical composition of anything and turn it into anything. I remember the answer I got from my professor was no but I don't remember why. Hopefully that reason will disappear in the future cause I don't see why it can't be done.

I think this will be possible within the next ten years. Not with every material for sure, but with some. Mitsubishi and Toyota worked on that, I'm not sure what's the actual state, they could transmute some elements with a nuclear reaction. This works nearly the same like a LENR reaction, so if LENR works, transmutation of elements will work as well. Possible uses would be to change radioactive waste to non radioactive elements, producing rare earth metals or precious metals. The transmutation from iron to gold, alchemists tried for a long time, could finally become a reality.

[Tylen]

We will never run out of rare earth metals, they could just become more expensive. There not rare at all.

Maybe we could mine precious metal asteroids at 2030.

When I took chemistry one semester I wondered if we could change the chemical composition of anything and turn it into anything. I remember the answer I got from my professor was no but I don't remember why. Hopefully that reason will disappear in the future cause I don't see why it can't be done.

I think this will be possible within the next ten years. Not with every material for sure, but with some. Mitsubishi and Toyota worked on that, I'm not sure what's the actual state, they could transmute some elements with a nuclear reaction. This works nearly the same like a LENR reaction, so if LENR works, transmutation of elements will work as well. Possible uses would be to change radioactive waste to non radioactive elements, producing rare earth metals or precious metals. The transmutation from iron to gold, alchemists tried for a long time, could finally become a reality.

^ This is my theory on why Aliens really have no need to visit Earth since they have reached their own Atomic Age (An age were atoms are re-arranged to make whatever) and we will probably reach this one day in the future

[Raklian]

We will never run out of rare earth metals, they could just become more expensive. There not rare at all.

Maybe we could mine precious metal asteroids at 2030.

When I took chemistry one semester I wondered if we could change the chemical composition of anything and turn it into anything. I remember the answer I got from my professor was no but I don't remember why. Hopefully that reason will disappear in the future cause I don't see why it can't be done.

I think this will be possible within the next ten years. Not with every material for sure, but with some. Mitsubishi and Toyota worked on that, I'm not sure what's the actual state, they could transmute some elements with a nuclear reaction. This works nearly the same like a LENR reaction, so if LENR works, transmutation of elements will work as well. Possible uses would be to change radioactive waste to non radioactive elements, producing rare earth metals or precious metals. The transmutation from iron to gold, alchemists tried for a long time, could finally become a reality.

^ This is my theory on why Aliens really have no need to visit Earth since they have reached their own Atomic Age (An age were atoms are re-arranged to make whatever) and we will probably reach this one day in the future

Well, what if those aliens need all of the atoms in this Universe for something that is really paramount to them? Surely, that involves stripping everything the solar system is made of, including Earth.

If it is possible to create new atoms by siphoning the energy from "outside" this Universe, then we can relax.