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Scientists create first synthetic life!
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JMO



Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Daegu

PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2010 9:40 pm    Post subject: Scientists create first synthetic life! Reply with quote

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/may/20/craig-venter-synthetic-life-form

Very, very impressive stuff if slightly scary.
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Fox



Joined: 04 Mar 2009

PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2010 10:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Single cell life-forms with custom-built DNA has incredible potential from a nano-technological point of view. It's pretty exciting.
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nautilus



Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 2:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fox wrote:
Single cell life-forms with custom-built DNA has incredible potential from a nano-technological point of view. It's pretty exciting.


man has not yet proven itself able to take care of the existing lifeforms let alone create new ones.

Thousands of wonderful species verging on extinction...and they waste $40M on engineering a single cell. Rolling Eyes
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JMO



Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Daegu

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 3:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

False dichotomy surely. Surely there wasn't some meeting where they said "let's put off saving all near extinct animal species until we engineer a cell because those are the only two available choices and we must choose one"

I'm pretty sure that is not how this stuff works but I guess you knew that. Also in the grand scheme of things, 40 million is loose change.
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ED209



Joined: 17 Oct 2006

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 4:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Guess life does need an intelligent designer, we walked into that one Wink

nautilus wrote:

Thousands of wonderful species verging on extinction...and they waste $40M on engineering a single cell. Rolling Eyes


That could potentially be used to clean up toxic spills and protect the environments that those species live in. Or destroy the entire world, turning it into a huge heap black sludge.

But seriously $40m, you're moaning about $40m? That's like 20mins of Avatar!
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Fox



Joined: 04 Mar 2009

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 4:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

nautilus wrote:
Fox wrote:
Single cell life-forms with custom-built DNA has incredible potential from a nano-technological point of view. It's pretty exciting.


man has not yet proven itself able to take care of the existing lifeforms let alone create new ones.

Thousands of wonderful species verging on extinction...and they waste $40M on engineering a single cell. Rolling Eyes


It's truly indicative of the theistic mindset that one would consider an accomplishment of this magnitude and the knowledge that lead to it a waste of 40 million dollars. You cheer Somalian pirates stealing millions of dollars and blowing it on luxuries like sports cars, but decry the money applied to advancing our knowledge.

Perhaps the most ridiculous thing about your poorly thought out, knee-jerk reaction is that you fail to realize life-sciences knowledge could well be the key to restoring species that have unfortunately gone exinct. You're mocking scientific progress that could very well help remedy a problem you're complaining about.


Last edited by Fox on Fri May 21, 2010 4:18 am; edited 1 time in total
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nautilus



Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 4:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ED209 wrote:

But seriously $40m, you're moaning about $40m? That's like 20mins of Avatar!


How many species could $40M save? Loads.There are numerous underfunded conservation initiatives struggling for financial support.
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Fox



Joined: 04 Mar 2009

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 4:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

nautilus wrote:
ED209 wrote:

But seriously $40m, you're moaning about $40m? That's like 20mins of Avatar!


How many species could $40M save? Loads.There are numerous underfunded conservation initiatives struggling for financial support.


Then start fund raising, if you really care. Why are you letting species die through your inaction?
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JMO



Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Daegu

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 4:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

nautilus wrote:
ED209 wrote:

But seriously $40m, you're moaning about $40m? That's like 20mins of Avatar!


How many species could $40M save? Loads.There are numerous underfunded conservation initiatives struggling for financial support.


Cool. I understand that you are supporting them by never spending money on anything but immediately essential things and sending that cash their way. Because other wise of course, you would be a hypocrite.

Your viewpoint is a ridiculous false dichotomy. Admit it and move on.
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nautilus



Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 4:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fox wrote:

Then start fund raising, if you really care. Why are you letting species die through your inaction?


What makes you think i don't?


You could be out there catching Somali pirates.
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Fox



Joined: 04 Mar 2009

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 5:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

nautilus wrote:
Fox wrote:

Then start fund raising, if you really care. Why are you letting species die through your inaction?


What makes you think i don't?


Call it a hunch.

nautilus wrote:
You could be out there catching Somali pirates.


I'm incapable of doing so.
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ED209



Joined: 17 Oct 2006

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 5:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

nautilus wrote:
ED209 wrote:

But seriously $40m, you're moaning about $40m? That's like 20mins of Avatar!


How many species could $40M save? Loads.There are numerous underfunded conservation initiatives struggling for financial support.


Did you bring this up in any of the threads concerning bailouts or the war on terror? I'm really confused by your comments. Millions of dollars are spent every day on things that have nothing to do with conservation(movies, cars, churches). Did you just suddenly feel the need to pick out this one story?

Do you not see how this discovery could possibly help save the environment at a relatively cheap cost? In effect helping the species you talk of, and saving more money for other projects.

Quote:
What makes you think i don't?


Do you?
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nautilus



Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 6:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fox wrote:
nautilus wrote:
You could be out there catching Somali pirates.


I'm incapable of doing so.


How about standing guard at the crosswalk then? Hundreds of grandmothers get mugged because you do nothing.
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Fox



Joined: 04 Mar 2009

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 1:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nautilus wrote:
Fox wrote:
nautilus wrote:
You could be out there catching Somali pirates.


I'm incapable of doing so.


How about standing guard at the crosswalk then? Hundreds of grandmothers get mugged because you do nothing.


You seem to be missing the point of this exercise. I'm not constantly making posts about poor grandmothers getting mugged at crosswalks.
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.38 Special



Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Location: Pennsylvania

PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2010 2:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fox wrote:


nautilus wrote:
You could be out there catching Somali pirates.


I'm incapable of doing so.


I just had a sudden burst of brilliant intuition!

I've got the guns. You get the boat. We'll start an adventure tourism business -- pirate hunting!

We'll make a killing Very Happy

Fox wrote:
Single cell life-forms with custom-built DNA has incredible potential from a nano-technological point of view. It's pretty exciting.


Are you familiar with the Gray Goo Hypothesis?

This looks like another pandora's box that we will someday wish we never opened...

Won't be long before we invade N. Korea on the auspice of possessing Organisms of Mass Destruction, when we're secretly in it for their nuclear fusion.

Cyclical history.... *sigh*
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