Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Blinn · 11-21-2002, 04:42 AM

<a href="http://www.msnbc.com/news/837988.asp?0cv=CB10" target="_blank">Scientists hope to create life form</a>

Quote:

Venter and Smith acknowledged the theoretical risk of creating a new disease-causing germ, but said they would take steps to ensure against that. One of the first genes they�ll delete is the one that gives M. genitalium the ability to adhere to human cells. Many of the 200 genes to be deleted will be ones that confer the ability to survive in a hostile environment, so that the end result will be a delicate creature, at home only in the warm nutrient bath of a laboratory dish.
Even if the organism were to escape stringent confinement and enter the environment, Smith said, �it�s a dead duck.�

Sounds like a nice evolution experiment. Do you think these guys are relying on the general populace's ignorance of evolution to pass off their rhetoric that this thing will have no chance of living outside of a petri dish?

Baloo · 11-21-2002, 06:03 AM

It almost seems as if you're concerned that the new organism, irked at its loss of ability to infect humans, will clinch its collective fist, and re-evolve all of the genes which allowed it to infect humans in the first place.

The real threat, IMO, is that the genes the researchers eliminate for safety sake will not be the ones wholly responsible for the ability of the organisms to live in a human host.

Blinn · 11-21-2002, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Baloo:
It almost seems as if you're concerned that the new organism, irked at its loss of ability to infect humans, will clinch its collective fist, and re-evolve all of the genes which allowed it to infect humans in the first place.

I'm not saying that, but I'm suggesting it might evolve to live outside of a petri-dish, say underneath the lip of a lab bench. <a href="http://www.space.com/news/spacestation/space_fungus_000727.html" target="_blank">Space fungus</a> is what came to mind when I read this.

[ November 21, 2002: Message edited by: Zetek ]

dangin · 11-21-2002, 07:45 AM

"The kind of safe guards you are talking about are impossible. Life will find a way"

Paraphrase of Dr. Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park.

But, if the wee little germ can't survive except within a temperature range of half a degree, and the exposure or removal of almost anything within its environment will kill it, it seems they're being as safe as they can.

Does any potential value of the research, outweigh the risk?

Starboy · 11-21-2002, 07:47 AM

If find this experiment to be both exciting and frightening. I can't wait to find out how it turns out.

Starboy

Happy Wonderer · 11-21-2002, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dangin:
"The kind of safe guards you are talking about are impossible. Life will find a way"

Paraphrase of Dr. Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park.

But, if the wee little germ can't survive except within a temperature range of half a degree, and the exposure or removal of almost anything within its environment will kill it, it seems they're being as safe as they can.

Does any potential value of the research, outweigh the risk?

I'm probably talking through my hat here (since I'm not a scientist at all) but is there some danger that the genes deleted could be replaced by <a href="http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/R/RecombinantDNA.html" target="_blank">plasmids</a>from a contaminating bacteria?

Quote:

Plasmids enter the bacterial cell with relative ease. This occurs in nature and may account for the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance in hospitals and elsewhere. Plasmids can be deliberately introduced into bacteria in the laboratory transforming the cell with the incoming genes.

This isn't so much for sake of argument, I'm really curious about why this wouldn't be an issue. (I'm sure it must not be -- I don't assume that the scientists are stupid...) The details would be interesting. I do hope the answer isn't "oh, we'll be really careful not to let any contaminants into the experiment."

That aside, this is really cool. If only I had known how cool this field of study was when I was a young lad...

HW

Frivolous · 11-22-2002, 07:38 PM

Those scientist will never be able to create life by themselves. Only the hand of God can weild such divinity. At most they would achieve an aberrant manipulated blend of other organisms. These experiments are none other than cruel lunacy, completely unnecessary...

pz · 11-22-2002, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dangin:
But, if the wee little germ can't survive except within a temperature range of half a degree, and the exposure or removal of almost anything within its environment will kill it, it seems they're being as safe as they can.

Problem: they are trying to do this for the first time. They don't know all the potential interactions within the organism they plan to build. So how can they know ahead of time that it has only a half degree temperature tolerance?

Jesus Tap-Dancin' Christ · 11-22-2002, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Frivolous:
Those scientist will never be able to create life by themselves. Only the hand of God can weild such divinity. At most they would achieve an aberrant manipulated blend of other organisms. These experiments are none other than cruel lunacy, completely unnecessary...

Frivolous · 11-23-2002, 03:00 AM

I do not believe that you are the real Jesus, are you some sort of imposter?

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11-21-2002, 06:03 AM	#2
Baloo Regular Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 417	It almost seems as if you're concerned that the new organism, irked at its loss of ability to infect humans, will clinch its collective fist, and re-evolve all of the genes which allowed it to infect humans in the first place. The real threat, IMO, is that the genes the researchers eliminate for safety sake will not be the ones wholly responsible for the ability of the organisms to live in a human host.

11-21-2002, 07:45 AM	#4
dangin Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: The Middle, Kansas Posts: 2,637	"The kind of safe guards you are talking about are impossible. Life will find a way" Paraphrase of Dr. Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park. But, if the wee little germ can't survive except within a temperature range of half a degree, and the exposure or removal of almost anything within its environment will kill it, it seems they're being as safe as they can. Does any potential value of the research, outweigh the risk?

11-21-2002, 07:47 AM	#5
Starboy Banned Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Tallahassee, FL Reality Adventurer Posts: 5,276	If find this experiment to be both exciting and frightening. I can't wait to find out how it turns out. Starboy

11-22-2002, 07:38 PM	#7
Frivolous Regular Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 101	Those scientist will never be able to create life by themselves. Only the hand of God can weild such divinity. At most they would achieve an aberrant manipulated blend of other organisms. These experiments are none other than cruel lunacy, completely unnecessary...

11-23-2002, 03:00 AM	#10
Frivolous Regular Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 101	I do not believe that you are the real Jesus, are you some sort of imposter?

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