Posted on 08/23/2013 5:12:04 PM PDT by Morgana
Have you noticed that we develop new biotechnologies these days for health issues, but they mostly become used for lifestyle facilitation? That’s what will happen if research in mice–that turned skin cells into both sperm and eggs and later used to create live mouse births, finds human application. From the Nature story:
To prove that these laboratory-grown versions were truly similar to naturally occurring PGCs, he used them to create eggs, then used those eggs to create live mice. He calls the live births a mere ’side effect’ of the research, but that bench experiment became much more, because it raised the prospect of creating fertilizable eggs from the skin cells of infertile women.
And it also suggested that men’s skin cells could be used to create eggs, and that sperm could be generated from women’s cells. (Indeed, after the research was published, the editor of a gay and lesbian magazine e-mailed Hayashi for more information.)
I recall chuckling over the odious views of Joseph Fletcher, who predicted in his last book that someday we would do a uterus transplant into a man so he could gestate and give birth through caesarian section. Maybe not that–but something similar seems to be coming this way:
Their method now allows researchers to create unlimited PGCs, which were previously difficult to obtain, and this regular supply of treasured cells has helped to drive the study of mammalian reproduction. But as they push forward with the scientifically challenging transition from mice to monkeys and humans, they are setting the course for the future of infertility treatments — and perhaps even bolder experiments in reproduction. Scientists and the public are just starting to grapple with the associated ethical issues.
Ethics? Not in this day of utter entitlement and anything goes. If it can be done in humans, we will see everything from male mothers to female fathers and cloning–or making parents–from the cells of the dead.
My question: How will society stay “society” if there are zero norms except “zero norms?”
Any unaltered man who can carry a child and give birth by natural means has earned the right to call him self “Mother”.
It will only stay that way until other peoples' money runs out.
I was thinking about this with all that Bradley Manning sex changing stuff. I wonder what happens when genetic technology gets good enough to have something like a ‘perfect sex change.’ As in actually altering things on a cellular/dna/chromosomes level and somehow growing all the different reproductive parts so it actually would work. I mean if you look at the level of medical ability 200 years ago compared to today, I don’t see how that would be beyond the realm of possibility 200 years from now or sooner.
Freegards
When are they going to start breeding men with gills for duty as Navy Seals?
When are people going to start wanting to be half cat or half dog?
When are people going to want to have wings or fins or fur or feathers?
When are people going to want two heads or three arms ... so they can still carry something while holding the door open for themselves?
Of course all of the freak show genetic mutants will eventually be defeated by the AI robots, but that will take a few more years.
Welcome to the Island of Dr. Moreau!
I have heard the term butt-born. now they can really do it.
Of course the baby will require a lot of cleaning up.
What if people can get race changes? Will blue eyed blondes start making a comeback? Or will everyone become Han Chinese? Or will we see unique combinations like blue eyed blonde Vietnamese?
Maybe we should be praying for a horrifyingly bad and long economic depression just to make sure there's not enough money to keep this research moving forward.
I have to think that genetic cosmetic changes are a lot closer than full on genetic ‘perfect sex changes.’ Probably the first thing to come along will be genetic alteration to prolong life past what we today would consider a natural lifespan, resistance from various geriatric diseases and conditions.
Larry Niven predicted ‘organlegging’, where all organs became perfectly transplantable with little effort. People killed for organs and voters voted in the death penalty for lesser crimes in order to place more organs on the market to prolong the life of the general populace. But I’m not sure that he’s right, synthetic organs and genetic manipulation could advance far enough so that wouldn’t happen.
“Maybe we should be praying for a horrifyingly bad and long economic depression just to make sure there’s not enough money to keep this research moving forward.”
It’s tempting. I keep going back to the murder of unborn people being legal for 40+ years, after that nothing is really too shocking or ‘out there’ to consider probably.
Freegards
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