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The real question is: what will biology be able to do that computers arn't able to? Back then the real alure was that computers could compute things amazingly
by thefool 16y ago
The real question is: what will biology be able to do that computers arn't able to?
Back then the real alure was that computers could compute things amazingly quickly, and later, that through the internet, we could organize information on computer networks. And that everything could scale really quickly.
We may be entering an era of basement labs, but that doesn't mean that these breakthroughs will necessarily be life changing.
IT is working on the problems of organizing people and information. This will likely produce many more people working on solving human maladies. But all these things being done in basements without any regulation or standards may lead to some health risks for first movers.
- stratospark 16y agoBy definition, these bio hackers will come up with things that are literally life changing. The modern computing era started out with hobbyists, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs some of the most famous examples. This started less than four decades ago, now look where we are. Imagine if we had to wait for large corporations or governments to repeatedly try out new ideas and see what succeeded or failed. Democratizing technology poses risks as you mention, but also offers great potential for innovation. I hope the upsides of this new era outweigh the bad.
- Tichy 16y agoI estimate the demand to be about one or two microbes world wide.
- sliverstorm 16y agoI personally suspect a lot of this pessimistic thinking is rooted in the fact that we simply haven't stumbled upon the key discoveries yet. It's like when I speak with my co-workers, and I say 'what would you like this tool to do- anything you want it to do, I can make it do', and they reply 'well, what sort of things can it do?' If I recall correctly, the microprocessor came about simply because Intel got tired of re-designing calculator chips from scratch, and so decided to make a one-size-fits-all. I doubt anyone saw microprocessors as the future back then; it was just a cheaper, easier way to make a desk calculator.
- Simucal 16y agoIt is funny how history repeats itself. That story of Intel very much reminds me of Charles Babbage's transition from the single purpose Difference Engine to the more general Analytical Engine.
- bkrausz 16y ago640 microbes ought to be enough for anybody.
- Confusion 16y agoThis kind of answer distracts from the honest and interesting question that thefool poses: The real question is: what will biology be able to do that computers aren't able to? If you asked that question about carbon nanotubes ten years ago, I could have answered that question and I think many people would have been interested in the answers, as the ideas and speculations on the subject wouldn't yet be widely known. In the same way, I would really like it if someone knowledgeable answered this question: what actual things are thought to be feasible through tailoring micro-organisms?
- jodrellblank 16y agoThis chap's fairly knowledgable... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHL7Drfj0B0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHL7Drfj0B0
- Tichy 16y agoProduce stuff - with computers, it's all virtual. Biology extends into the material world. Also maybe cure diseases.
- fhars 16y agoWhat biology will be able to to that computers aren't is to directly kill people, without detours over miscalculated radiation doses or decompression times for divers. Well meaning hobbyists in their basement will probably not endanger more than themselves and their immediate friends and family, but the same technoilogy in the hands of fanatics will open interesting venues for non-standard social interactions.
- joshu 16y agoTherac 25!
- atiek 16y agoSynthetic biology will introduce a different set of building parts (DNA, RNA, and protein), methods of energy consumption (ie: photosynthesis) and something computers can't do -- reproduction. It will be a good thing to have alternatives that rely on completely different resources as technically everything is a limited resource. That said, current synthetic biology does not strive to become an alternative to computers, but instead compete or work together with nanorobots. Perhaps something computer-like will happen once we have synthetic cells figured out and also create large artificial systems with them -- but that's a distant future, if ever, its ethics will be heavily debated.
- Goladus 16y agoWe may be entering an era of basement labs, but that doesn't mean that these breakthroughs will necessarily be life changing. Heh, "changing life" is exactly what biology can do that computers can't.
- xiaoma 16y ago"The real question is: what will biology be able to do that computers arn't able to?" Biology "apps" could give you the ability to jump higher, run faster, grow stronger and live longer. They could even make us smarter. Personally, I find all of that very compelling.