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Thread: DNA, Cloning, Genetic engineering... Going too far?

  1. #1

    DNA, Cloning, Genetic engineering... Going too far?

    Take a look at this (Source: Sky News - MAMMOTH PARK REALITY IN 20 YEARS)

    A safari park featuring mammoths and woolly rhinoceros could open to visitors in the next 20 years.

    Scientists from Japan and Russia believe they can take the concept behind film Jurassic Park and make it a reality.



    A group of them will travel to Siberia this week to hunt out the carcasses of dead prehistoric animals that could be brought 'back to life'.

    They will take DNA from the animals, perfectly preserved in the freezing conditions, and transplant them into the living relatives of the animals, such as elephants and rhinos. The animals will hopefully then give birth to creatures that roamed the planet 20,000 years ago.

    'Absolutely possible'

    Scientists aim to take the mammoths and other fearsome beasts back to Siberia where they will create a modern day prehistoric park.

    Sounds like science fiction? Well, scientists are confident woolly mammoths will be roaming the Siberian planes within two decades.

    "It probably sounds far-fetched, but it is absolutely possible to do this," said project co-ordinator Professor Akira Iritani.

    Pleistocene Park

    Mr Iritani announced earlier this year he had successfully transplanted a spinach gene into a pig to change the animal's fat into less fatty linoleic acid.

    The key to the project's success is finding perfectly preserved carcasses in the Siberian tundra with undamaged DNA. The team is concentrating its search on a small area 300 miles south of the Arctic circle.

    Siberian tiger, steppe lions, giant deer and ancient foxes are believed to be buried there. The Siberian sanctuary will eventually enclose an area twice the size of Britain.

    - End of Text -

    We're seriously toying with nature here... Bringing back extinct animals, mammoth in this case, why not revive some dinosaur later on while they're at it? What I suddenly thought of when I read this news article was about the ancient civilizations and their believe of the afterlife. Truely they were correct in a way, modern technology has the capability of bringing back the dead from the past.

    In this article I am disturbed by this part:
    Mr Iritani announced earlier this year he had successfully transplanted a spinach gene into a pig to change the animal's fat into less fatty linoleic acid.
    Wasn't there news about transplanting jellyfish gene into a monkey few years back? What are these scientists doing? It's not natural.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
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    Ah man, it'll be Jarassic Park all over again...but in real-life. I just don't think it's right. Will there ever be a line drawn as to what is morally right to do and what just shouldn't be touched. I mean these animals no longer exist, we should just accept that and let nature and life take it's course.

    Trying to alter the way things are and bringing back animals from the past, I just believe it shouldn't be done. You just never know what will happen, could turn out devastating.

    Greg
    \"Do you know what people are most afraid of?
    What they don\'t understand.
    When we don\'t understand, we turn to our assumptions.\"
    -- William Forrester

  3. #3
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    I love and respect science of all kinds,but when did the scientists decide it was okay to "play God".I think it's wrong to bring these creatures back to life.Nature has always worked in mysterious ways,but nine times out of ten there is a reason for the things that nature does.None of these creatures have any natural predators on the earth anymore.How do we regulate the populations.I don't know about you,but I'm not gonna be the unfortunate person that has to spay/neuter the saber tooth tigers.Another thing is what sort of genetic diseases do these things carry,and can they be spread to other creatures.If so,I'm willing to bet your local physicians/vetranarians don't have any vaccines for them.Scientists need to do some serious research before unleashing this bright idea on the world.What's next.(Hmm lets see what happens when we cross a human and a rabid chihuahua.)

  4. #4
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    well i feel excited also and worried also.. because.. this project..
    on mamoth has already started.. and the main researcher .. is a
    japanese biologist Dr. Kazufumi goto and he has claimed that he can
    do it.. well so the mamoth will come alive.. but then what will he
    eat... and where is the place to keep them on this earth.. because
    now its not the old earth.. full of jungles.. but today the earth is
    full of skycrapers... ohhhhh..

    thanks for the info..
    A laptop, internet connection and beer.

  5. #5
    Now, RFC Compliant! Noia's Avatar
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    Um, can I just say, this is just the revese toying with nature from what we'r used to, Human's have killed of ALOT more animal's than any one here really know's, maby now is our chance to un-do some damage.

    - Noia
    With all the subtlety of an artillery barrage / Follow blindly, for the true path is sketchy at best. .:Bring OS X to x86!:.
    Og ingen kan minnast dei linne drag i dronningas andlet den fagre dag Då landet her kvilte i heilag fred og alle hadde kjærleik å elske med.

  6. #6
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    Maybe these creatures carry some genetic anti-postion for virusses we have now. I think that it can be controled, we're talking about people that do this for a living, that work with protocols to protect the rest of us. Just because the idea is new for you doesn't mean it is for everybody. There are so many possibilities what might happen if they can get them back, so we need to keep discussing these subjects to get used to the idea of making something possible like that.

    XaMi©

  7. #7
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    I know that we humans have probably aided in killing and making a lot of animals extinct, but I don't know whether it's right to bring em back, especially not in the way that these people are intending. They want to bring back an animal that lived ages ago and they want to use them for our amusement - as a park. Maybe I might agree with it if they were suggesting to bring back a species that just recently died off and try and bring it back into the wild, but that is not what they are planning.

    I also don't think that these things can be controlled. Once we bring a species back, you'd get all these scientists and whoever trying and experimenting with things that shouldn't really be touched. I just don't think it's something that can be controlled, people's imaginations always get the better of em and once they have the power, they might not be able to resist it.

    Greg
    \"Do you know what people are most afraid of?
    What they don\'t understand.
    When we don\'t understand, we turn to our assumptions.\"
    -- William Forrester

  8. #8
    Heh... but it sure would make some good "Godzilla" footage, wouldn't it?

    Science without experimentation is dead. Experimentation resulting in undesireable findings is a given(some hack computers, some hack jeans, and others hack genes). Therefore, science without trial AND error is farcical to say the least.

    I've always been supportive of the cloning idea. If they think it can be done, let them have at it and we can all learn from it. Besides, it's nothing that a big-game rifle couldn't handle if push comes to shove.

    Furthermore (and this is strictly my opinion), the government placing a ban on human cloning has only hurt our own progress in this field of science... Now we have to wait until the rest of the world figures it out for us? Yeah... Like they're going to be "humane" about it. Oh well... At least us good, red-blooded Americans can say, "Our hands are clean of it.... Just in case."

    It's that old, medieval mentality back in full swing again... We're afraid of what we don't understand, so not understanding "must" be better... May God have mercy on our pathetic, little souls...

    Rev
    Many will ask, \"Where do you want to go today?\" because they\'re still scratching for ideas.

    With *NIX, there\'s already a way. The sum of us just need roadmaps to get there.

  9. #9
    I might have to agree with xamurai79, on this. there is a slight possibility that these creatures could bring something good to human kind.

    But on the other hand: Isn´t time we leave this planet to heal it self. It is about time we find out a way to exist without damaging the entire planet.

    Have you ever noticed that every other animal on this planet adapts to the surrondings so the species fit in. We humans adapt the surrondings, so they fit us! That can´t be the way to go about it!

    To do genetic research is fine as long as we don´t let it in to the wild once we are done with it!
    I breathe, therefore I am!
    I type, therefore I live!
    [shadow]I love, therfore I die![/shadow]

  10. #10
    I think maybe scientists better watch Star Trek 2 before they go too much farther

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