FREAKS OF NATURE

"The gods have their own rules." Ovid

"Ye shall be as Gods." Genesis

aloha again.
saw something disquieting on the Science channel last nite,
THE SUPERHUMANS 2 hrs long, they dressed it up in comic book graphics to possibly lessen the impact. where do i begin?

first they bred two rodent species whose DNA is further apart than man and chimps (yes they said that, 93% DNA match between human and chimp) the crossbreed experiment was sucessful. the result is what scientists call a CHIMERA,something NOT FOUND IN NATURE! (emphasis added). as usual they promised to 'cure birth defects' (as defined by who?) but the troubling part involved DESIGNER GENES & DESIGNER CHILDREN, they invoked the Digital Divide to predict there might someday be a Gene Divide between the Haves & Have Nots which might indeed lead to TWO DISTINCT HUMAN SPECIES!!!
it goes on,
RAY KURZWEIL (you've got to WIKI this dude,scroll down for the portal) wants to become IMMORTAL,no really. this guy is decribed in his Wiki bio as "a futurist and transhumanist"-TRANSHUMANIST,REALLY? now before you scoff at this i was up early this morning and figured out what this genius was up to...
think of DNA as a shoestring with a ferrule (end cap or tip) at each end of the lace,in genetics this ferrule is called a TELEMERE and as it unravels we age and become less resilient. now if you could prevent or reverse this unraveling you might indeed live forever (who would want to?). this is where stem cells come in as step one. step two is ORGAN FARMS where they would insert your DNA into a pig embryo (we're a lot alike and not just sexism wise, if a pig can eat it and not die so can you) and grow a spare kidney or lung or whatever repalcement part your body needs.they boasted "this is no longer the stuff of science fiction".

of course science fiction is based on THE LAW OF UNEXPECTED CONSEQUNECES, for example antibiotics have saved millions of lives but their overusage to fatten farm animals has lead to MRSA and other antibiotic resistant superbugs. in sci fi the problems generated by immortality lead to ennui and suicide (novel Childhoods End by Heinlein?).what if there is a caste of rich immortals over a much larger caste of poor mortals,no problems there right? let them eat Soylent Green cake?
some species of virus and micrboes are possibly immortal but should we add mankind to that list? i can think of all kinds of arguments and bio ethical treatises to keep the status quo, a natural death,versus immortality and a Utopian Society without crips & disability.where i ,for one, would've been aborted in the womb.what do you guys think?

"The factory of the future will have only two employees,a man and a dog.The man will be there to feed the dog.The dog will be there to keep the man from the equipment." Warren G.Bennis

"Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons."
R.Buckminster Fuller

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE???

namaste
semepr grumpy
mega