Synthetic Life

[Avenger]

[video=youtube;QHIocNOHd7A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHIocNOHd7A[/video]

For those of you too lazy to click the video, I'll give you a brief explanation: We have managed to create our own species of self-replicating life (more accurately, one of our computers has). This holds the potential for us to cure a great deal of diseases and fix a great deal of problems in the world.

Oh, and yes, we have now become God.

Discuss.

 

[-Origin]

Skynet?

 

[Zeonix]

I didn't think anyone else was going to post this but I saved an article just in case:

Relevant: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Obama-Congress-Committee-Discus-Synthetic-Biology-143251.shtml

 

[Avenger]

There really is no limit to what we can do with this technology once it has been refined. In theory, you could even create bacteria that would produce cocaine in your system. It's a brave new world, people.

Skynet?

No, Skynet made this for us. That's kind of worrying, though, isn't it? A computer designing life?

 

[Prozac]

This is a small step for man, but a huge step for mankind.

etc.

 

[Brosiris]

that's pretty awesome.

 

[Deathshot]

But doesn't that make a possible identity theft even more possible. On iphone so can't see video. Say someone hacks that computer then every bit of your info is out. Blood type, age, and more. What about easier biological warfare? Just thoughts from a normal mind sitting on the toilet scrollin the esf forums.

 

[Painkiller]

But doesn't that make a possible identity theft even more possible. On iphone so can't see video. Say someone hacks that computer then every bit of your info is out. Blood type, age, and more. What about easier biological warfare? Just thoughts from a normal mind sitting on the toilet scrollin the esf forums.

ROFL.

You've got a point there.
But it really is a huge step.

 

[Avenger]

As far as I know, that computer doesn't store everything about you, it's just a computer that designed and made the synthetic life. It does however have a worrying potential for creating biological weapons. Mark my words, in twenty years, we will see the rise of the Manatee-Burrito-Snake.

 

[Deathshot]

Well... Say something like this keeps you healthy. What if that requires something like.... A tune up or something monthly. Meaning you have to hook yourself to the computer once a month. Say someone hacked it and transformed your data into something such as a Disease that could cause it to spread just from being within 5 feet from someone and you wouldn't even know it til you died from it. Then a mass population fall out. But maybe I am just taking a bit too far.

 

[Avenger]

I'm not sure you understand what they've done here. "Synthetic life" implies they've created an entirely new organic lifeform. It's not a computer. Basically this means we can create our own new life for special purposes, like creating oil, destroying waste, curing diseases by giving someone a bacteria that creates a vaccine. It could also potentially do what you referred to, but I mean, what are the odds someone will access a supercomputer and alter this to something dangerous? It would require immense knowledge of genetics and computers.

 

[Deathshot]

Remember that knowledge grows from ear to ear. The person who made the original could have the ability to control all of them from one point. But yea, now I am fully understanding it now.

 

[Avenger]

"One" person did not make it, though. Big team of scientists. It's not easy to create new life.

 

[-Origin]

Tell that to my mom and dad.

 

[Avenger]

It wasn't easy. It took at least ten minutes of sweaty sex, in your case. And a faulty condom.

 

[-Origin]

More like a couple shots of tequila and 2 minutes in the backseat of a car. But you should know.... dad.

 

[Avenger]

No, no, I was just there to watch. 10 minutes was including foreplay, though.

 

[Painkiller]

Mark my words, in twenty years, we will see the rise of the Manatee-Burrito-Snake.

What the **** is that?

 

[Rocky]

No, no, I was just there to watch. 10 minutes was including foreplay, though.

What the **** is that?

fixT

Seriously though, sounds cool. Wait till the Japanese start splicing this technology with their robot girlfriend technology.

 

[kam!]

[yadda yadda] In theory, you could even create bacteria that would produce cocaine in your system. It's a brave new world, people.

Make those infectious as well, everyone wins!