Genetically modified human embryo stirs criticism

News that scientists have for the first time genetically altered a human embryo is drawing fire from some watchdog groups that say it's a step toward creating "designer babies." But an author of the study says ...

[Darwin]

Welcome to the brave new future. You cannot stop this progress anymore now than when the Catholic Church attempted to suppress the fact under penalty of death that the earth revolved around the sun. You can hate it, decry it, and attempt to suppress it. But you cannot stop it. It too is a form of human evolution.

[Nick]

Darwin wrote:

Welcome to the brave new future. You cannot stop this progress anymore now than when the Catholic Church attempted to suppress the fact under penalty of death that the earth revolved around the sun. You can hate it, decry it, and attempt to suppress it. But you cannot stop it. It too is a form of human evolution.

Thats one of the dumbest things I have ever heard.

Designer babies are just creepy. Not to mention the balance we already have in nature. What happens when one sex out numbers the other? what happens when psychos want gay babies or other weird traits?

Stupid liberals most likely find this fantastic.

[Darwin]

Nick wrote:

<quoted text>
Thats one of the dumbest things I have ever heard.
Designer babies are just creepy. Not to mention the balance we already have in nature. What happens when one sex out numbers the other? what happens when psychos want gay babies or other weird traits?
Stupid liberals most likely find this fantastic.

Not too bright. I didn't say you had to like it. I just said you cannot stop it. Whether you think its creepy is immaterial as well as how it fits with your religious mythology. It will happen. There is nothing you or anybody can do to stop it. Its an intellectual process and ideas have never been suppressible although little minds have tried for centuries. Get used to the idea as it will be happening routinely within decades.

[Nick]

Darwin wrote:

<quoted text>
Not too bright. I didn't say you had to like it. I just said you cannot stop it. Whether you think its creepy is immaterial as well as how it fits with your religious mythology. It will happen. There is nothing you or anybody can do to stop it. Its an intellectual process and ideas have never been suppressible although little minds have tried for centuries. Get used to the idea as it will be happening routinely within decades.

Why do you assume I'm against it for religous reasons?

The only people that would even be down for something like this are egotistical psychos anyways....Much like you.

Why even let something like this be used when only a psycho will use it. It serves no purpose other then to "whip up" a kid. Is making kids like making a sandwich now? "do I want roast beef or ham? maybe both"

I bet your all for cloning people too arent you?

Another thing, what happens when they make a mistake and the kid comes out looking like a monster because mommy and daddy wanted a 6 foot dark hair and dark eyes son in the future?

I can clearly see you're trying to bait a religious arguement. In my opinion you're egotistical and arrogant.

[Darwin]

Reading is a skill, Nick. Where did you read that I support this? I said it could not be stopped, and it cannot anymore than the concept that the earth is not flat, but round. You can list all the objections you want, but they are totally immaterial. You cannot suppress intellectual ideas and that's exactly what this is. This is as much a part of human evolution as when we began to wear clothes and modify our environment to suit our needs as a species. Its not there for you to like, it just is. You will have to deal with it in an effective manner, but you will never be able to suppress it. It will be routine and accepted in the future. It cannot be stopped anymore than the truth that the earth revolved around the sun.

[Frankenstein Babies]

I guess science "fiction" isn't so sci-fi after all. Will this horror become reality?
http://www.scifi.com/outerlimits/episodes/sea...

[Nick]

Darwin wrote:

Reading is a skill, Nick. Where did you read that I support this? I said it could not be stopped, and it cannot anymore than the concept that the earth is not flat, but round. You can list all the objections you want, but they are totally immaterial. You cannot suppress intellectual ideas and that's exactly what this is. This is as much a part of human evolution as when we began to wear clothes and modify our environment to suit our needs as a species. Its not there for you to like, it just is. You will have to deal with it in an effective manner, but you will never be able to suppress it. It will be routine and accepted in the future. It cannot be stopped anymore than the truth that the earth revolved around the sun.

Whatever, thats one crazy post tho. I find it funny how sure you are about this. Believe it or not ethics still play a role in society today.

I know im not in the minority when I say I find this un-ethical.

The idea that would be parents would be shallow enough to 'paint' a baby is pathetic in its self.

[Darwin]

Nick wrote:

<quoted text>
Whatever, thats one crazy post tho. I find it funny how sure you are about this. Believe it or not ethics still play a role in society today.
I know im not in the minority when I say I find this un-ethical.
The idea that would be parents would be shallow enough to 'paint' a baby is pathetic in its self.

Look, there are steps in human evolution. One came when we started to make tools and use fire. No doubt some felt it was unethical to control the spirits of wild grains by beginning agriculture. Some shamen, no doubt, said that if the Gods Ugga and Bugga wanted us to wear furs and skins so we could live in colder climes, they would have grown them on us. Then came the changing of our environment to suit us better as a species by building houses, cities, and sky scrapers. All of these things were evolutionary steps in our species. Having control of our genetics is just another of these steps. One with incredible implications for our species. You can't go back, Nick, once the knowledge is out there. This was inevitable and cannot be suppressed no matter how hard they try. Sure about this? ABSOLUTELY! As a biologist, I know it will happen. Its a quantum leap on our evolutionary scale. I am not making a value judgment here. I am recognizing a fact. There won't be a choice in this matter as you cannot control ideas. Don't forget that there were preachers in New England who tried and managed, for a short time, to make the manufacture, sale, and use of lightning rods illegal because it defies God's will who will be struck by lightning. It sounds ignorant and ridiculous to us now, but they saw it as moral and ethical at the time. I think people are more frightened by this than anything else. But there really is no more choice in the matter. You cannot control ideas and knowledge. Look at how many times they have tried and always failed.

[Snydly]

Nick wrote:

<quoted text>
Thats one of the dumbest things I have ever heard.
Designer babies are just creepy. Not to mention the balance we already have in nature. What happens when one sex out numbers the other? what happens when psychos want gay babies or other weird traits?
Stupid liberals most likely find this fantastic.

What happens when one wants a baby and isn't supposed to. Fertility drugs! screw religion we have science to over ride every thing.

[Bob]

We as a species have grown to the point where we can - through our own intellegence and skill - alter our own evolution at will. That is absolutely remarkable. Don't stop with genetics though - our machines are also growing into superior tools and cybernetic implants are just around the corner too. The humans of 2200 (if we make it that far...) will be nothing like the humans of today - and they will look back at us and know that it was our time - our generations - that made it happen. The only question is will they thank or curse us...

[theholtlord]

here's scientific "PROOF" that christianity is a genetically inherited trait... Now if any christian can dispute these results I will drop down on my knees and believe a cult leader who lived two thousand years ago is god instead of God is everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

P.S. Have you ever noticed that intolerant holy roller ramblings are always from inbred backwoods hick areas like texas, tennesee, north carolina places where they try to ban the teachings of science.

Is it not about time that we stop showing these inbred hicks the respect for their B.S.(biblical scripture) before our our

constitution looks like the muslim constitution (the Al Quran) and our last rights are gone the way of the Lord ...
all shot to hell.

I only hope I can GMO my children so they don't have have to suffer disese and early death.

[Spike]

Darwin wrote:

<quoted text>
Not too bright. I didn't say you had to like it. I just said you cannot stop it. Whether you think its creepy is immaterial as well as how it fits with your religious mythology. It will happen. There is nothing you or anybody can do to stop it. Its an intellectual process and ideas have never been suppressible although little minds have tried for centuries. Get used to the idea as it will be happening routinely within decades.

How can we not stop it? What if it never happens? It won't. We'll never be able to create life. Besides, why do we even want this? Why do we want to have little robots with parent-chosen traits walking around?

[Snydly]

Baby on board. Great there will be another idiot on our roadways.

[Wally]

This is the "science" Hitler tried to concoct.
He wanted to create a perfect race of humans...
it was insanity.

Anyone who would "design a perfect child" is just like Hitler correct? After all... that's what he wanted to do.
I don't have a lot of faith in our society.
We now have baby farms... and even some pro choice supporters who still want to say babies aren't actually human babies if they are born living yet unwanted. They should be killed before they become a burden to anyone.
(so much for when life begins huh?)

This lab is testing the waters & playing games behind closed doors.
Nobody checks on them & they report to no one.

Society has become almost as unethical as it can get.
Look around.... Just spending a couple hours on topix & I already feel there is no hope for mankind.

[Steve in Wellington]

this procedure was first done in 1947, it was called project Hillary

[Spotter Truk]

Spike wrote:

<quoted text>How can we not stop it? What if it never happens? It won't. We'll never be able to create life. Besides, why do we even want this? Why do we want to have little robots with parent-chosen traits walking around?

I agree: what's the point of having "replicated" oneself as a haploid (read: clone). 46 pairs of chromosomes don't a human make. Study Dolly - she died of old age at 3 years. Hmmm - propagation clonically is folly. I don't believe that Darwin had anything to do with [this]; he was paid for his research, not cloning idiots.

[Spotter Truk]

Steve in Wellington wrote:

this procedure was first done in 1947, it was called project Hillary

Yeah - Hillary O. McBush - lol.

[Boris]

Spotter Truk wrote:

<quoted text>Yeah - Hillary O. McBush - lol.

Igor! It's alive!!!.......Uh oh, what have I done?

[theholtlord]

Darwin wrote:

<quoted text>
Not too bright. I didn't say you had to like it. I just said you cannot stop it. Whether you think its creepy is immaterial as well as how it fits with your religious mythology. It will happen. There is nothing you or anybody can do to stop it. Its an intellectual process and ideas have never been suppressible although little minds have tried for centuries. Get used to the idea as it will be happening routinely within decades.

Whats even creepier is when parents want a GMO christian baby, they will try to modify their childrens brain to accept anything its told as true and will have no individual thought... Just like homeschooling.

JESUS SLAVES!

[Iradicus]

Of the many falsehoods present in this thread, I will only point out a few.
1. Hitler could not have achieved power without the backing of the people, like Bush.
2. Genetic manipulation is curing and will continue to cure vast numbers of diseases. It would take a simpleton to turn down a technology that has such benevolent and far-reaching potential.
3.I would do anything to guarantee a healthy child.If we have the power to eradicate every deficiency in our genome, do we not have the responsibilty? Or do you need the sickle-celled,lactose intolerant, diabetic Down-syndrome hermaphrodite next door to make you feel good about your hare-lip and webbed feet?