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Leslie Cheswyck
Joined: 31 May 2003
Location: University of Western Chile
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 Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 4:30 pm Post subject: |
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| I thought Dave's ESL created the first synthetic life. |
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nautilus
Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!
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| Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Fox wrote: |
You seem to be missing the point of this exercise. I'm not constantly making posts about poor grandmothers getting mugged at crosswalks. |
It appears that the only thing you feel strongly about in life is Somali piracy. Rapes, murders and muggings do not faze you.
So...make a donation to the coastguard.. or never rant against pirates on here again. |
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.38 Special
Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Location: Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 5:33 pm Post subject: |
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| nautilus wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
You seem to be missing the point of this exercise. I'm not constantly making posts about poor grandmothers getting mugged at crosswalks. |
It appears that the only thing you feel strongly about in life is Somali piracy. Rapes, murders and muggings do not faze you.
So...make a donation to the coastguard.. or never rant against pirates on here again. |
You argue like a man-child  |
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The Happy Warrior
Joined: 10 Feb 2010
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| Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 7:53 pm Post subject: |
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| This is huge news. |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 11:57 pm Post subject: |
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| The Happy Warrior wrote: |
| This is huge news. |
It sure f'in is. My inner geek just creamed himself.
-In all seriousness, this heralds huge and hopefully positive potential ramifications (not least of which is shutting down one of the Creationists' lynchpins). |
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.38 Special
Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Location: Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 12:05 am Post subject: |
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| caniff wrote: |
| The Happy Warrior wrote: |
| This is huge news. |
It sure f'in is. My inner geek just creamed himself.
-In all seriousness, this heralds huge and hopefully positive potential ramifications (not least of which is shutting down one of the Creationists' lynchpins). |
In the past, human weapons have been dumb objects bent to the will of the user.
In the future, our weapons will become predatory and mercilessly slaughter us independently of intelligence, malice, or gain.
But that is a long way off. Scientists still haven't created life, just customized DNA that was inserted to a pre-existing yeast cell. Promising/terrifying, but not quite there yet.
And you forget, Caniff, that Creationism isn't an argument but an explanation of a much greater argument: God. Populating a petri dish isn't going to make that go away, no matter the rancor of your bigotry. |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 12:07 am Post subject: |
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From the comments:
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jeke
20 May 2010, 6:03PM
"Others said Venter was playing God."
Pot. Kettle. Black.
Surely, the people who claim to tell us what is prohibited and what is mandatory, on behalf of a godhead of their own imagination, are the ones playing God. |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 12:12 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| In the future, our weapons will become predatory and mercilessly slaughter us independently of intelligence, malice, or gain. |
Prediction noted.
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| But that is a long way off. Scientists still haven't created life |
So they haven't done what the article claims they did?
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| And you forget, Caniff, that Creationism isn't an argument but an explanation of a much greater argument: God. |
Are you reading the same CE forum I am?
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| Populating a petri dish isn't going to make that go away, no matter the rancor of your bigotry. |
I fail to see how it would given the emotional and psychological attachment some people display in the face of all controverting evidence. |
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.38 Special
Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Location: Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 12:19 am Post subject: |
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I suggest you read the article again. The language is intentionally misleading to spur reading. Lab created DNA life does not make, although it is the logical starting point to creating lab created critters.
The BBC gave a much better write-up: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10132762.stm |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 12:25 am Post subject: |
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| .38 Special wrote: |
| I suggest you read the article again. The language is intentionally misleading to spur reading. Lab created DNA life does not make, although it is the logical starting point to creating lab created critters. |
Okay, but I'll let others chime in as right now I have to go out with my fellow pinheads (I sound almost like Big Bird).
Thanks for calling me a bigot and I'll pop in later for my daily insult. |
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JMO
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 12:26 am Post subject: |
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I read the article and listened to the interview. I don't see how it is misleading. Venter explains the exact process. What part of the article did you find misleading?
that bbc article is in depth and excellent but it says exactly what he said in the interview attached to the first article.
Last edited by JMO on Sat May 22, 2010 12:28 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 12:26 am Post subject: |
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| nautilus wrote: |
| Fox wrote: |
You seem to be missing the point of this exercise. I'm not constantly making posts about poor grandmothers getting mugged at crosswalks. |
It appears that the only thing you feel strongly about in life is Somali piracy. Rapes, murders and muggings do not faze you.
So...make a donation to the coastguard.. or never rant against pirates on here again. |
I have given money to the coast guard, in the form of taxes. That's strike two. |
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Rteacher
Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Western MA, USA
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| Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 3:43 am Post subject: |
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If you define life as something - without a spiritual dimension - that can be created materially, then it's practically inevitable that something that approximates the symptoms of a living organism will be manufactured (or as "ED..." noted - "intelligently designed"...)
So far, modern science has impressively enhanced our destructive and polluting capabilities - due to an exploitative mindset - despite so much theoretical and technological advancement.
Let's see them create a simple grain of rice from a combination of inert ingredients.
And of course Craig Venter is only concerned about benefiting humanity and all sentient beings - or is he? ...
Dr Venter became a controversial figure in the 1990s when he pitted his former company, Celera Genomics, against the publicly funded effort to sequence the human genome, the Human Genome Project. Venter had already applied for patents on more than 300 genes, raising concerns that the company might claim intellectual rights to the building blocks of life.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/may/20/craig-venter-synthetic-life-form
Even more predictable are statements from U.S. "defense think tanks" that minimize the potential biological-terror and other risks associated with this type of project.
Last edited by Rteacher on Sat May 22, 2010 4:08 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 4:05 am Post subject: |
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| Rteacher wrote: |
| If you define life as something - without a spiritual dimension - that can be created materially ... |
In other words, honestly and correctly based on the data at hand.
| Rteacher wrote: |
| Let's see them create a simple grain of rice from a combination of inert ingredients. |
Why do you keep saying this? When science eventually succeeds at doing so, you'll just move the bar again. You realize at this point in time you're essentially just heckling the scientific process, right? They make discovery after discovery, you shout about how pathetic it is and scream that we need to talk about ancient mythology instead. |
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Rteacher
Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Western MA, USA
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| Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 4:25 am Post subject: |
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| Fox wrote: |
| Rteacher wrote: |
| If you define life as something - without a spiritual dimension - that can be created materially ... |
In other words, honestly and correctly based on the data at hand.
In wiser words, not artificially limiting the definition of life to the purview of materialistic, exploitative science.
| Rteacher wrote: |
| Let's see them create a simple grain of rice from a combination of inert ingredients. |
Why do you keep saying this? When science eventually succeeds at doing so, you'll just move the bar again. You realize at this point in time you're essentially just heckling the scientific process, right? They make discovery after discovery, you shout about how pathetic it is and scream that we need to talk about ancient mythology instead. |
I don't recall ever having moved the bar, and the present instance clearly is not an example of life being created from inert matter. It seems to me that more effort - and scientific research grant money - is put into things that can be expected to generate a lot of profit for relatively few people and/or destroy lots of living beings (including humans) than to promote world peace and harmony with nature - topics which modern science evidently is not very concerned with. |
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