Scientists About To Create Artificial Life

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:47 pm

The religious people are going to be upset about this!

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_deta ... con_type=1

Post by **garyb** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 10:04 pm

why? because it's a stupid idea born from arrogant asshats who know so very little about the systems that they are about to impact?

[mode=irony]or is it because even ignorant, savage, god fearing people know that it's dumb to play god when you're just a part of creation?{/mode]

it's things like this that create super-flus and gmo food like bt corn that's killling off all the honeybees, the main pollinators of human food crops, and other horrors beyond imagination.

ii applaud the scientists' discipline, ingenuity and studiousness to figure these things out, but i am appalled at their lack of good judgement in the things that they do.

manfriday · Post by **manfriday** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 10:58 pm

Some scientists have the intelect and technology to do absolutely amazing things, and none of the wisdom to know when to stop.

Post by **hubird** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 11:54 pm

garyb wrote:ii applaud the scientists' discipline, ingenuity and studiousness to figure these things out, but i am appalled at their lack of good judgement in the things that they do.

that's why a balanced society needs a - controlled by parliament - gouvernment...

Post by **garyb** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 12:39 am

oh yeah, those guys always show good judgement! (sarcasm)

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 2:52 pm

I was always told that only god can create life. Watch the religious and the republicans try to stop it like they did with stem cell research.

Post by **garyb** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 3:04 pm

it's not cool regardless of the religious implications. it's arrogant and short sighted and ignorant.

also, technically, taking what is already there and combining it to make something that already exists is not creation.

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 3:25 pm

The scientist claims he will be able to create life from scratch within months with the goal being to create a new bacteria for the production of biofuel, I assume the idea would be for the bacteria to convert grass or trees into ethanol or methanol for use in cars and power production. This is new and exciting and very good.

manfriday · Post by **manfriday** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 3:58 pm

oh yeah, Im sure people will get real stoked about the idea of using trees to make gas now.

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 4:20 pm

You are using trees now but it took millions of years to turn it into oil and coal. The willow reaches full maturity in 10 years. Of course Bush and his oil buddies might not be too happy about new fuels. Are you one of them?

Post by **garyb** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 4:58 pm

oil is abiotic.
it doesn't come from trees.
it's not even in limited supply, refineries are.

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 5:28 pm

Actually oil comes from prehistoric zooplankton and algae in the sea, my mistake. Coal is formed on land from trees, moss etc..

I can see from your reply that you are in favor of trashing the planet. I hope a more reasonable consensus will emerge.

Post by **garyb** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 6:00 pm

nope, i'm not in favor of trashing the planet, save the rhetoric for someone less informed. oil is not formed by some magical transformation of organic material. it is formed from some of the most common elements in the universe, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. all that is required is heat, pressure and the required elements, which are everywhere in the planets crust. that's why it's easy to make synthetic oil and gasoline(the germans made lots in WW2 since they didn't have access to the normal sources and have few petroleum resources that are easily tapped).

petroleum is a relatively dirty fuel, i wouldn't mind replacing it, it's not in short supply, however. many wells thought long dry have replenished. oil companies like to use the outdated term "fossil fuel" because it justifies price gouging. the real shortage is, as i said before, in refining capacity. most US refineries have shut down, both because of environmental concerns and because it's more profitable to keep supplies short.

genetically modifying bacteria for fuel is irresponsible and foolish. only a small fraction of reality is known. just like in the example of BT corn i gave earlier, there are often unexpected side effects of screwing with nature(BT corn produces a nerve agent to kill pests, but the pollen is poinsonous to honeybees, who collect it and are responsible for pollinating food crops. when the bees collect corn pollen, they don't discriminate and so they pass the modified gene on to non BT corn, making the problem severe because you can't just not grow the GMO version to end the problem, because the problem has jumped to the nonGMO version, one small problem with GMO foods, there are worse horror stories).

dude, they are killing the planet with these wonderful discoveries. better to just use petroleum than to fill the world with franken-creatures.

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 6:13 pm

It's well known that petroleum comes from living matter. I don't have to point out how uninformed or misinformed you are on this and many other subjects. Good luck to you Gary in your other universe. You are in your own world my friend.

paulrmartin · Post by **paulrmartin** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 6:54 pm

Look up what a whoopla the Raelists stirred up...

manfriday · Post by **manfriday** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 7:10 pm

You are using trees now but it took millions of years to turn it into oil and coal. The willow reaches full maturity in 10 years. Of course Bush and his oil buddies might not be too happy about new fuels. Are you one of them?

I hope you are joking, because that is one of the stupidest things I have heard in a long time.

especially considering the following accusation a couple posts later

I can see from your reply that you are in favor of trashing the planet.

It's well known that petroleum comes from living matter. I don't have to point out how uninformed or misinformed you are on this and many other subjects. Good luck to you Gary in your other universe. You are in your own world my friend.

matter that is already DEAD genius. as in it's no longer contributing to the whole oxygen/cabondiogide exchange, or any of the other little favors the LIVING trees do for us.

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 7:31 pm

It comes from living things moron. The matter that is dead is what is between your ears!

manfriday · Post by **manfriday** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 8:03 pm

yeah but we didnt have to kill the 'living things' to make the oil dipshit.
it was dead for millions of years before the first internal combustion engine was invented.

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 8:28 pm

I don't hear you. I am programmed to ignore imbeciles.

manfriday · Post by **manfriday** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 8:40 pm

Hmm.. lets see..

using fossil fuels = BAD!

cut down trees and release man-man bacteria to convert them into ethanol = GOOD!

You suggest that Gary is in favor of trashing the planet while you get a boner over the idea of turning the planets current flora into gasoline...
You should run for president man.. Green party! They'd love ya!

Did you say you were programmed to IGNORE imbeciles or to BE an imbecile?
Because it certainly seems like the later....