Posted on 08/16/2022 2:44:29 PM PDT by aquila48
cientifically, it’s called ectogenesis, a term coined by J.B.S. Haldane in 1924. A hugely influential science popularizer, Haldane did for his generation what Carl Sagan did later in the century. He got people thinking and talking about the implications of science and technology on our civilization, and did not shy away from inventing new words in order to do so. Describing ectogenesis as pregnancy occurring in an artificial environment, from fertilization to birth, Haldane predicted that by 2074 this would account for more than 70 percent of human births. His prediction may yet be on target.
In discussing the idea in his work Daedalus–a reference to the inventor in Greek mythology who, through his inventions, strived to bring humans to the level of the gods–Haldane was diving into issues of his time, namely eugenics and the first widespread debates over contraception and population control.
Whether Haldane’s view will prove correct about the specific timing of when ectogenesis might become popular, or the numbers of children born that way, it’s certain that he was correct that tAt the same time, he was right that the societal implications are sure to be significant as the age of motherless birth approaches. They will not be the same societal implications that were highlighted in Daedalus, however.
Technology developing in increments Where are we on the road to ectogenesis right now? To begin, progress has definitely been rapid over the last 20-30 years. In the mid 1990s, Japanese investigators succeeded in maintaining goat fetuses for weeks in a machine containing artificial amniotic fluid. At the same time, the recent decades have seen rapid advancement in neonatal intensive care that is pushing back the minimum gestational age from which human fetuses can be kept alive. Today, it is possible for a preterm fetus to survive when removed from the mother at a gestational age of slightly less than 22 weeks. That’s only a little more than halfway through the pregnancy (normally 40 weeks). And while rescuing an infant delivered at such an early point requires sophisticated, expensive equipment and care, the capability continues to increase.
The Matrix!
More at the link.
MATRIX. Red pill or blue?
In the year 6565,
Ain’t gonna need no husband,
Won’t need no wife.
You’ll pick your son,
Pick your daughter, too,
From the bottom of a long glass tube.
—”In the Year 2525”—Zaber & Evans, 1969
Fits in nicely with mothers who don’t want kids. Weirdos...
Sometimes I feel like a motherless chile
Sometimes I feel like a motherless chile
Sometimes I feel like a motherless chile
A loooooong waaahay from home.
There is a very great number of unknowns on this whole business. There are a vast range of known and probable (and no doubt lots of unknown unknowns) about factors in human gestation. Its likely that even after the first “working” device produces its first live baby, problems will be found in the the resulting people, requiring adjustments and optimization, and this is going to be a very lengthy R&D feedback loop. Designing an acceptably safe artificial womb is going to be very slow and very messy, probably with a significant number of “casualties”.
Fans of Battletech know that genetically engineered human invaders ultimately get their asses handed to them by a phone company in 3052.
Aldous Huxley’s fever dream comes to life.
Wombs with a view.
“WEF Advisor: ‘We Don’t Need Vast Majority of Population’ Slay - August 16, 2022”
The world could do with a lot fewer of a$$holes like him, for a start.
Brave New World
The world doesn’t need a single one of those elitist a-holes.
They produce no products or services.
Their only aim is to be the elite in a world with a minimum population to sustain their elite lifestyles.
So men can become women with dicks and have babies. Or kill them if they grow bored and watch them die in the artificial womb, hey kinky.
Couple of observations.
1) This will be needed when a large percentage of the female population is infertile due to vaccinations.
2) This will allow single men to have their own kids. We can really have male versus female equality and competition.
“In the year 6565,”
Much sooner, I’m afraid.
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