Life-Changing Technologies

[grunder20]

Nowadays, advanced technologies are in reality. Take Android for example. Every cellphone has it.

[felpaluche]

They must be given tribute.

[TZMSocialEvolution]

The only sad thing with this and other similar lectures: Always thinking in terms of money, as if it's as required as air and as permanent as gravity. Oh how we have deluded ourselves, but things are changing, more fundamentally than most are willing to admit. :)

[SealTeam1]

@DawkinsForWeAreMany It was sarcasm. And I believe it was a reply to someone else's comment.

[GoldHealth]

Interesting technoutopianism. You'll see scientists and scholars promising technical fixes for all problems. For example, the female professor who talks about "clean coal." Even if she was right in predicting technology that creates zero pollution when coal is consumed, she forgets that coal mining destroys rivers, mountains, and people. The problem with technoutopians, especially genetic engineers, is they have huge pride/ego/greed, and they ignore negative consequences.

[SealTeam1]

Lets just ignore all problems and forget any issues and let things destroy themselves right? At least they take the time to try and solve problems unlike most of us.

[selftaughtninja]

@GoldHealth Of course they do. I mean remember the dumbasses that created a singularity on earth ? I mean as far as we know it was sucessful and not gonna die. But that is extremely extremely dangerous.. Dangerous technologies are being researched everyday. I don't have a problem with them being researched but they need to happen somewhere else. I'm sure if there are alien life out there. They A) don't do it on their own fucking planet or B) don't put 7 billion ppl at risk for science.

[fesic1]

the chick asking the question starting at 1:04:45 doesnt sound like a stanford student .... she cant even make a sentence without using "you know" all the time.....

[petersonmd1983]

what a bunch of silly ninnys

[TheMuslim100]

Great random lecture. but I don't think we can prolong "health span" by stem cell or whatsoever ... but may be by regular excercises, stop drinking and alcoholics and stop smoking, and so on.

[Cyrathil]

We can, because if the number of people who die because their organs are damaged and can be repaired through stem cells (a large cause of this is simply accidents, and not necessarily diet) are allowed to live longer, then we have a larger pool of people living longer. The average life span has just increased. Both are factors, though.

[TheMuslim100]

how about preventing the cause rather than treating the effect ?

[Cyrathil]

How do you reliably stop people from slipping off rooftops or the such? I said, specifically, that the root cause of the problems I was referring to weren't dietary problems, but simple accidents.

Diet isn't the cure to all problems. You can decrease the chance you'll break your bones if you get plenty of calcium in your diet, but it doesn't make you "immune", there's a better word but I can't remember it, to breaking your bones.

[hajolino]

As far as I know, our bodies are "constructed" by nature to desintegrate slowly from 40 year of age upwards.

Maybe we "can" do such things, but only a small minority will be able to afford it.

[Cyrathil]

"Maybe we "can" do such things, but only a small minority will be able to afford it."

10 years ago, we could have said the same thing about computers, but look at where we are now. Technology is expensive at first, and then cheapens later when more efficient processes to produce it, and less demand for it, are present.

But, I also don't think that stem cells are a panacea, and we should develop other avenues, like telemerase.

[hajolino]

Crantil wrote: "We can, because ..... "

I am sorry, but you think too short.

Living longer does mean longer retired living. As longer living retirees do NOT make any contribution to the wellfare of the whole society, they cost the society more money and have to be fed by less and less(!) younger people.

(I will belong to these elders too. :-( )

If our generations did raise more childrens, it might have been ok, but we didn't.

Our descendands will not be willing and able to pay us that.

[Cyrathil]

"Living longer does mean longer retired living."

And this isn't that bad a prospect, when you actually take what I said in full... I never said stem cells were a panacea. There are plenty of elders who are supporting themselves fairly well, my grandparents being some of them. Combine this with telemorase research, and that number has the possibilities of improving drastically.

But this is all moot. Whether or not we should, stem cell research CAN increase the life span, since it's an average

[MonsuerLePlague]

Do you have any supporting research or references to research or pear reviewed papers to show that there are no health benefits achievable through stem cell research?

[TheMuslim100]

Actually no, and I don't think there's a research that proves a negative. But if you can prove there are benefits, that's great. I didn't pass by any prove yet, though.

I suggested that preventing the root cause is much more effective than treating the effect. Because this way is more reliable , effective and rational.

[Katalyzt]

★★★★★

[TheReasonWhyGuy]

Interesting lecture :D