How something is researched is a different topic than what is being researched. Lack of ethics or disregard for the safety of research subjects (Nazi experimen

How something is researched is a different topic than what is being researched. Lack of ethics or disregard for the safety of research subjects (Nazi experiments come to mind...) is not what I'm in favor of (and I doubt hardly anybody else is either). A researcher shouldn't be able to dump a tanker of oil in the ocean to "find out what happens"..... But saying "this topic is off limits and can not be inquired into by any means" is #1)realistically not going to happen at this point. #2)not provably desirable for humanity. #3)full of potential for political and economic abuse. Yes, things are going to change a lot and soon (re. synthetic biology... I majored in a biological science. Genetics, bio-chem, advanced biology etc. 20 years ago. I entered a different field. I don't claim to know much, but to your point, I think I do know what's coming). Yes, there will be tragedies (but also amazing benefits). Yes, people need to be as careful as they can, and they need monitoring. Yes, application of technology needs regulation. But attempting to force ignorance simply isn't a good idea, nor is it going to work. The likely outcome of that approach is application of more uninformed versions of technologies entailing more risk to everyone. The genie is not going back in the bottle. So we need to do our best to understand mechanism and outcomes, and thus tip the risk/reward ratio in a positive direction. My grandfather was an engineer in Los Alamos working on nuclear destruction devices. He died in his late 40's from cancer. I never met him. So I understand your point. But where I think we differ... I don't think they should have stopped nuclear research. I think they should have done more in fact and I still do. What I don't think they should have done was use that technology, half understood, with no long term plan for waste disposal, largely to build destructive devices. It's not research and understanding that kills us, but the reverse.