How Soon Before????

[IrOnLaW]

Gene therapy and genetic engineering become a reality, if it isn't already, i.e. designer children, increased muscle mass, increased intelligence, etc.....

I read somewhere that by the 2008 Olympics, there will be some genetically engineered athletes out there. I also read that eventually, there will be a genetic gap between the rich and poor, as only the financially elite will be able to afford the procedures.

And consequently, there will be no breeding between the genetic rich and genetic poor.... As they considered it similar to us breeding with chipanzees now....

All this is from a paper I did a few years back in college, therefore, I don't have any sources to quote anymore, but maybe some of you do.... Thanks

[PoliticalRefugee]

so the rich and poor will turn into different species?

What on earth have you been smoking, I really think your idea of genetic engineering is way different from what we are close to now.

And genetically engineered athletes? Do you think that we'll be racing against 3 legged freaks and that the rich will be like designing babies like you create a character on the sims by 2008?

Also designer children are at the moment picked from embryos that are screened for certain characteristics I believe. We don't go I want a child with brown hair, 9% body fat and a scientist goes and "creates" it. Fertilized embryos are screened for preferable genes and then those embryos are chosen.

Not my specialist subject but I think you should try doing some research about this, you sound delusional.

[Phil153]

I'd be careful before calling him delusional, perhaps Nature (the science journal) are delusional too?

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1627.html (quoting a nature article)

They can already inject people with genes to increase blood vessel proliferation and various natural hormones. Nature believes these things are likely to be appear in the 2008 Olympics and be undetectable

I don't think the rich/poor divide is unlikely as gene therapy becomes more advanced.

And to be fair, I don't think his comments suggest what you say.

[IrOnLaW]

[ QUOTE ]
so the rich and poor will turn into different species?

What on earth have you been smoking, I really think your idea of genetic engineering is way different from what we are close to now.

And genetically engineered athletes? Do you think that we'll be racing against 3 legged freaks and that the rich will be like designing babies like you create a character on the sims by 2008?

Also designer children are at the moment picked from embryos that are screened for certain characteristics I believe. We don't go I want a child with brown hair, 9% body fat and a scientist goes and "creates" it. Fertilized embryos are screened for preferable genes and then those embryos are chosen.

Not my specialist subject but I think you should try doing some research about this, you sound delusional.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unfortunately, it just becomes a cat and mouse chase for the Olympics.... The scientists help the athletes achieve that competetive advantage, whatever it may be, the officials find out, then try to figure out how to stop what they are attempting.

With designer children, what you described is exactly what I meant. Blue eyes, 6'2-6'4, highly intelligent, brown hair, genetically predisposed to be muscle-bound, all options to choose from just like buying a new car.... From what I have read, the Human Genome Project of 2003 will potentially have a lot to do with it....

I got most of my information when I did the research paper from peer-reviewed scientific articles, but this is quickest site I found that gives an overview of what I was talking about.... Designer Children

I'm also not saying next year we will be able to do this, we may never be able to... There are a lot of variables at play. Genetic mutation being one of them, that could potentially be very scary for the human race.

[Subfallen]

[ QUOTE ]
Genetic mutation being one of them, that could potentially be very scary for the economically and politically marginalized majority of the human race[/b].

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP.

[AWoodside]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Genetic mutation being one of them, that could potentially be very scary for the neo-luddites who fear change and have a poor understanding of economics.

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP.

[/ QUOTE ]

FYFYP

[Piers]

So why do you believe gene therapy won’t be cheap and easy, so everyone can have it?

Not saying your not correct, but once you have perfected a method of adding a custom DNA fragment to someone the rest is just software plus R&D. So its quite possible that DNA upgrades will be cheaply available for the mass market.

Wait and see I guess.

[van_exel_fan]

Don't they do this type of therapy to all players on the New England Patriots?

[vhawk01]

My marginalization is greatly worsened by the iPhone, I don't know about you guys.

[PLOlover]

it's worse than that. according to bill joy, the elite plan to get rid of almost everyone except themselves.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html