3 ms·
Since I'm not seeing too much commentary... I'll bite: "TLDR" version on 'Idea 01': any cell can be regressed to a less developed version and can be used as a
by delinquentme 15y ago
Since I'm not seeing too much commentary... I'll bite:
"TLDR" version on 'Idea 01':
any cell can be regressed to a less developed version and can be used as a general purpose "stem cell"
"Did Read" version:
One item on this list which looks particular promising is the idea of "induced pluripotent cells"
literally: gone are the days of embryonic stem cells, and the social injustice associated with them.
It is in my experience when talking with individuals on this topic in particular that they really have a hard time disconnecting "stem cells" from "killing babies"
We literally now have the technology to regress these endo exo and meso ( differentiated cells ) into their previous undifferentiated states.
This is HUGE! Previously once a cell had "differentiated" to one of the above mentioned states, It could only further develop along that differentiation. Thus it was excluded from migrating from a endo to exo ... or meso to endo etc.
- zeteo 15y agoThe issue was never killing babies. The embryos were going to be destroyed anyways, and parental consent was needed. It's like organ donation on a smaller scale. The real issue is that a large section of the US population is committed to an ideological social conservatism. "Playing God", i.e. changing the fundamentals of social relations that were unchanged for millenia, is what really ticks them off. You see how even a relatively minor thing, like gay marriage, is heavily opposed; practical biological engineering will face ten times more vocal opposition, regardless of the way it may be achieved.
- delinquentme 15y agoI disagree. I think as soon as you put this into the perspective of personal gain there is no cap on the change that can be made. Just look at what the beauty industry sells now... creams that erase years... I can't begin to comment on the financial windfall of legitimately turning back the clock. I don't think anyone legitimately WANTS to get old and accrue physical decay...
- zeteo 15y agoYes and all the beauty creams are made from "natural" ingredients too. As long as the fiction that great-grandma could have made the same thing with forest-picked herbs is maintained, all is great.
- puredemo 15y agoSocial conservatives eat GMO food all day long while remaining blissfully unaware of its existence.
- Vivtek 15y agoThe issue was never killing babies. Precisely. Fertility labs kill lots and lots of fertilized embryos and conservatives never bat an eye.