A recent interview from Wired Magazine with molecular-biology pioneer J. Craig Venter sheds light on where biology is currently heading. His ambition is to be able to biologically design and alter DNA. By using genetic engineering DNA can be altered just like software on a computer and using biological transporters proteins viruses, and even living cells can be recreated at other locations. A very simplistic way of viewing it, would be to compare it with a 3D printer. Cell can be designed virtually which get stored as template and can be ‘downloaded’ at different locations. According to J. Craig Venter DNA is the software of life, while proteins can be collectively seen as the hardware of a human body.
This new development, however, comes with a lot of ethical concerns and has its own share of resistance in the science world. The technology is deemed to be dangerous because it can be abused. Like most important technology it can be either used for good or bad. Due to this resistance J.Craig Venter is afraid that this resistance might hinder an amazing opportunity to improve life. One of the most obvious benefits is that it can be used to quickly fabricate vaccines all over the world in the case a pandemic. Another example named in the article is that this technology can also help our understanding about life on other planets.
The question remains if this type of technology will become a blessing or a burden to society, and my guess would be that it becomes both. On the one hand the implications on the medical field of such technology is huge. It can be used to altering genes which causes certain defects such as being colour blind or even save lives by preventing cancer (if it is scientifically proven that genesis the most important source of cancer). However, at the same time this type of technology can easily be used for bio terrorism or privacy concerns, such as people being identified using DNA. My prediction is that this technology will have a hard time being developed or standardized due to the resistance but that it will eventually become a common thing in the future. Society is changing rapidly and information defines this era. Digitalizing DNA therefore seems to be a logical step the development of information technology .
Source: Wired (UK) November 2013 edition
That’s ultra cool. That’s how Superheroes are born, we all know that right?
Well, even though I fully realize what the dangers of something like this may be (think a 20 feet tall toddler or something), I still want them to go ahead and do it. Maybe I’m radical when it comes to medical research, but I wanted them to do cloning as well. Cloning, DNA alteration, turning it into digital data which they can edit like a damn Photoshop image. I’m all for technological advancements. I say go for it.
I mean, 20 years ago scientists didn’t even know how to sample DNA properly. My parents wanted to take DNA from me when I was just a few weeks old for a paternity test and the way they did it back in 1990 was to shove a big ass needle in the kid’s spine or some other crude procedure like that, which of course my parents said no to. Then years later we found out you could simply do it with a Q tip from the inside of one’s cheek.
Science is scary sometimes and the unknown is even scarier. But I think we need to dive head first into such “adventures” in order to simply evolve as species. At least mentally. If it leads to our self destruction then so be it. I want superpowers, damn it!
Good post 😛