Biotechnology

[Tinker Gnome]

Somewhat spawned by the robot thread, am I the only one who wishes the world were going down the Biotechnology route more, now a lot of the stuff I am about to say is very Sci-Fi'ish, but I would prefer squishy, messy, fluidy, and tough genetically engineered biological creatures as opposed to robots.

 

[Ferret]

Yeah, I agree. I just like mutants more then robots.

 

[Angcuru]

I don't think we're likely to see biotech stuff like that any time soon. For the sole reason that biological stuff can reproduce and overcome designed infertility, while robots are just...well...there.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

I don't think we're likely to see biotech stuff like that any time soon. For the sole reason that biological stuff can reproduce and overcome designed infertility, while robots are just...well...there.

Heh, that is what I like, Biological organisms are so much more dynamic.

 

[Shemeska]

People don't understand biotech more it seems, and there's far more organized ignorance and idiocy regarding it.

Look at the EU and genetically modified agriculture for the posterchild of such. Look at the people who are frightened of vaccines and the misinformation out there regarding them. Look at the misguided people who release lab animals into the environment where they promptly starve to death, having never been in the environment, etc. Heck, labs in the same buildings as I've worked in have gotten envelopes studded with razorblades because they worked with mice.

Biotech has opponants on both sides of the political aisle too, since it's either 'not natural' or 'playing god', though most of the legislative action has been on the part of the european left recently.

I had more to say, but the above is probably too much on politics etc to go on.

 

[Torm]

It won't be just biotech or just cybernetics - it will be both, if we survive to that point. Personally, I think the Singularity will be a good thing. One thing about the Borg - you can't say they are ever lonely or selfish and self-centered.

 

[WayneLigon]

I think one reason we haven't gone down this path further is that, like AI, it's proven to be a lot more complex than we originally forsaw. The more we learn, we uncover more complexity and unforseen interaction. It's that last part that is probably putting the breaks on some projects. We find that we can manipulate X but when we manipulate X it not only affects Y and Z like we thought, it also affects A, B, and...Q? Nobody ever imagined it would affect Q. Back to the drawling board.

 

[Turanil]

I believe that mankind will engineer the next step in evolution of life-forms. It seems obvious to me; the next logical step of evolution. It may take some time, and a lot more of research, so maybe not before 22nd century. Nonetheless I firmly believe mankind will create new sentient beings who will be bio/techno robots, and at the same time improve the genetics of the human race as a whole.

 

[Henry]

What a lot of people also don't understand is that Medical and Biological Technology is a LOT more advanced than people realize. We use it every day, it continues to evolve and improve life standards for everyone. Alteration of plants and animals creates products that would probability-wise be impossible in human lifetimes. In some ways, biotech as a whole is more advanced today than robotics is, and is likely to be. For one thing, it's been practiced longer.

 

[Eolin]

What a lot of people also don't understand is that Medical and Biological Technology is a LOT more advanced than people realize. We use it every day, it continues to evolve and improve life standards for everyone. Alteration of plants and animals creates products that would probability-wise be impossible in human lifetimes. In some ways, biotech as a whole is more advanced today than robotics is, and is likely to be. For one thing, it's been practiced longer.

Absolutely true. Consider what I did today when I went to the grocery store (actually, Walmart, but still, I was getting groceries)

I got in my car, which runs off petroleum products that are basically engineered from crude oil. To go from crude to unleaded isn't what we normally think of when we talk about biotech, but it is still biotechnology.

then I went into the walmart. I was buying everything I need for yogurt. This includes something like 4 different fruits, all of which I shoudn't be able to find in Oklahoma in March. And yet, there they were, ready for me to eat after just a little cleaning. How come? Because we've redesigned plants over the centuries to grow wherever and whenever we want them to. Sure, a bunch of them were imported, but I still don't quite fathom having strawberries in early March. and available for everyone. That's a huge amount of both production and engineering to make it work.

Oh, and don't forget about the bananas. Does anybody know why bananas are always available? Because they make huge quantities of them, freeze them, then thaw them out and put on a chemical that speeds up the ripeness process. That's sweet biotech.

And lastly, my actual yogurt. Its non-fat yogurt that contains both live cultures and likely eighty different things to make it non-fat. That culling process of modifying yogurt is also biotechnological.

It *is* the future. We may not have flying cars, but for 12 bucks I can make enough yogurt to last me a week. And that's pretty sweet.