Saving Lives with Designer Babies? - Alan Trounson

[dadiddlydooda]

Finally, we'll have a very bright and beautiful looking future. lol

[oLiViArOcKiNsOn122]

Out of 200 embryos 1 is selected. That's 200 babies if 1 is chosen, thats 199 dead babies. Saving lives? I think not.

[189643478]

@oLiViArOcKiNsOn122

They are not babies but collections of 64 cells or so. These are called blastocysts. We cannot refer to them as human because they lack a nervous system and thus are not individuals.

[Lkonae]

@oLiViArOcKiNsOn122 Lawl. You do understand that all those 'babies' were just going to be another component of the menstrual cycle?

[caro557]

@oLiViArOcKiNsOn122 they're embryos not babies

[Lobotaru]

technically, by removing genetically inherited diseases, you are increasing human potential. What makes people afraid of augmentation is a fallacy of thinking that they would be rendered obsolete by their children.

The ability to augment fully grown adults may be a whiles off, but it is possible to give fully grown humans augmentations through genetic manipulation as well. Its just easier to do it to embryo's because the delivery is much easier.

[ncfwhitetigress]

In this case I don't have a problem with it, but I can imagine how this medical technology could be misused and abused by the wrong persons.

[WellIAMScottish]

Is there "hoopla"? Clearly the parents did what they needed to to provide their offspring with an advantage, at first, one, but resulted in two.

They "win" on the human evolution scale.

[666norton420]

i think you're making the same mistake as gattaca made... which is odd as you're canadian.

if this is kept within the public sector, paid for by the gov, then there is little business to be made.

also, people seem to confuse the 2 arguments.

1 being that we should eliminate genetic deficiencies/problems and 2 being that we should go above and beyond natural human abilities.

not sure how those 2 get confused, but they do.

;d

[Monchanger]

Who are you?

16242T Phd. who has studied the scientific publications and moral arguments made by Trounson's friend?

Or perhaps Rev. 16242T, who maintains a belief that something humans must be dumber than, and thus anything we do is automatically unworthy of praise?

Its usually zealots who accuse scientists of lacking morality, for lack another way to feel good about themselves. Scientists aren't businessmen or religious leaders- we don't prey on the mindless. We're here to help you.

[Bobbiethejean]

How could this be wrong? No one was hurt. Nothing bad happened. In fact, something good happened. A little girl's life was saved. As long as the second child is loved, I don't see the big fuckin hoopla.

[caltrop69]

Yeah...Gattaca was my first thought, too.

[Monchanger]

Same here, due to the very misleading title.

"Designer" is suggestive of fashion, which is the height of humankind's obsession with the skin-deep.

This is "design", an engineering term, where the interest is in function, not style.

[666norton420]

actually, this is the same as gattaca.

in gattaca, they never created new or used non parental genetics.

they simply selected the best genetic possibilities from the egg and sperm samples; each of which are more varied than most people understand.

;d

[IIIClydeBarrowIII]

Gattaca, Brave New World... The list goes on.

[thetimman00]

This makes my royal inbred blood boil. How dare the commoners. Watch out for the big SLAP!

[thetimman00]

This makes my royal blood boil. Commoners better get off this track. Watch out for the big slap.

[chiquito]

The rise of a new human species. One who is able to modify its gene structure thru selective breeding or selective tinkering of its genome.

Presenting homo evolutis or homo artificialis...

[CharBroiled04]

"The rise of a new human species. One who is able to modify its gene structure thru selective breeding."

Don't kid yourself, humans have done this forever, as have most animals. Animals always choose who they're going to breed based on who has the brightest plumage, the biggest throat sac, the mightiest roar, etc.

We're just much better at it. We don't have to go by phenotype, we can go by genotype.

That hardly makes us a "new species".

[chiquito]

It is Gattaca. To upgrade is human.

The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it. -  Thucydides, 460 - 400bce

[baudiirocz]

Does this remind anyone else of GATTACA?

[freesk8]

Parents have a right to do this kind of thing.

The government (and any democratic majority) have no right to interfere in this kind of thing.

[Lihinel]

Thats NOT design, thats artificial selection.

They are not desinging genomes, they are selecting one out many embrios based on a set criteria.

People should really stop confusing everbody by using the wrong words.

Same goes with declaring the human genome sequenced, when in fact, the data we have resembles more of swiss cheese.

[Jezuzac]

They are designing a child, you fucking asshole.

[msh1044]

They are not designing a child at all... they are simply selecting from the pool of availible combinations the ones with the traits they want to have. ( not all combinations between mom and dad's dna have to be defective )

Or to put simple: they selected egg and sperm, merged them and tested the resulting cells for ones that where unaffected. They then put that cell back in the mother to become a new child. ( which they then used to treat the daughter as well )

Artificial.. Sure, Design?.. No

[specialmike140]

genetics is the frontier of science! exciting shit!!!