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> Realizing this, these types will give up on re-introducing the original organism and instead create a bioengineered version that can survive in the changed wo
by prescriptivist 1y ago
> Realizing this, these types will give up on re-introducing the original organism and instead create a bioengineered version that can survive in the changed world. I fear this path will not end well for us.
Developing and injecting genetic resiliency into existing populations isn't the worst thing in the world. Additionally adding animals that can only reproduce sterile offspring would be an amazing tool for dealing with invasives. That kind of practical work very easily follows from this R&D.
- throwanem 1y agoThe sterile-insect technique has been practiced since the 1950s. There is nothing novel or newly promising in that regard presented here.
- prescriptivist 1y agoAre you saying that a company like Colossal has nothing to offer to the field of genetic biocontrol or are you saying there is nothing of interest in the field?
- throwanem 1y agoI'm saying that even if they can do it, which nothing so far suggests, then the enormous prior art in the field should still make it uninteresting to them in any case. Nothing you could patent, and it isn't charismatic to billionaires. Why bother?
- johnecheck 1y agoAgreed, engineering our environment is hardly the worst thing. But it comes with some real risks that we shouldn't take lightly.