[dohboi]

"mosquitos aren't humans"

No, they aren't. But a gene is a gene...

[Newfie]

So is eliminating malaria a good thing or a bad thing? Less malaria means more humans means more starvation. Ugly arguments.

[Cog]

"mosquitos aren't humans"

No, they aren't. But a gene is a gene...

Genetic manipulation that affects the entire organism is much more difficult when you go from insects to the higher level mammals

[Ibon]

So is eliminating malaria a good thing or a bad thing? Less malaria means more humans means more starvation. Ugly arguments.

In isolation that is an ugly argument. When coupled with self regulation of population then eliminating malaria would be wonderful.

[Newfie]

Since we have not mastered the “self regulation of population” it remains what is.

[dohboi]

Ever heard of gene replacement therapy? https://www.exploregenetherapy.com/abou ... nt-therapy

1. Gene replacement therapy starts with scientists creating a new, working copy of a missing or faulty gene.

2. Then the new gene is placed inside a vector. A vector acts like an envelope. It carries the gene to the right places throughout the body.

3. A vector can be created by making changes to a naturally occurring virus. A virus is selected as a vector because of its ability to enter the body. One such virus, called an adeno-associated virus, or AAV, is used because it is not known to cause sickness in people.

4. Next, the vector enters the body and carries the new gene to the control center of the cells, also known as the nucleus.

5. Once inside the nucleus, the new gene tells the body how to make the protein it needs. Finally, the rest of the vector is broken down by the body.

[Tanada]

Ever heard of gene replacement therapy? https://www.exploregenetherapy.com/abou ... nt-therapy

1. Gene replacement therapy starts with scientists creating a new, working copy of a missing or faulty gene.

2. Then the new gene is placed inside a vector. A vector acts like an envelope. It carries the gene to the right places throughout the body.

3. A vector can be created by making changes to a naturally occurring virus. A virus is selected as a vector because of its ability to enter the body. One such virus, called an adeno-associated virus, or AAV, is used because it is not known to cause sickness in people.

4. Next, the vector enters the body and carries the new gene to the control center of the cells, also known as the nucleus.

5. Once inside the nucleus, the new gene tells the body how to make the protein it needs. Finally, the rest of the vector is broken down by the body.

Of course to be truly efficient you need to do this with a person who is a newborn so that as they mature through childhood the new cells created by their body are the 'corrected' DNA version.

Naturally this also lets the possibility spring forward of early pregnancy alteration where wealthy individuals seek to give their own children all sorts of genetic advantages.

"Yes Doctor I want my child to be male, have the intelligence of Sheldon Cooper, the appearance of Don Johnson and the athletic capability of Dwayne Johnson, oh and throw in superior vision, hearing and repair the defective gene that makes vitamin C so they will never be subject to Scurvy..."

Once you start playing gene engineer where do you stop? What about people who want to play God and say switch out the skull/brain of a Gorilla with that of a human so you get a hybrid creature with Gorilla physique and human intelligence? We already share over 97% of our genes so its not like it would be a huge alteration to make 'smart gorilla' to work as your security force. After all a Gorilla is stronger, sprints faster, and is your natural Vegan diet follower. Give them human intelligence and modern equipment like guns and bullet resistant clothing and they would be super security for defending the compounds of the extremely wealthy, or bodyguards for political leaders. I can't claim that idea as my own, there was a secret attempt in 1930's USSR to breed super soldiers and part of NAZI Aryan race theory was that Nordic 'viking' types were superior soldiers. Bad ideas like these don't go away they just change form to match the times.

[Newfie]

Where would it all stop? With a bunch of 1%ers we could all hate.

[onlooker]

"Once you start playing gene engineer where do you stop? "The same could be said for many technologies. Once again, the problem is not technology per say but the flaws of humans individually and collectively. Our flaws, our emotions can lead us to misuse technology or overrely on it.

[Ibon]

Why mess with genes when we already have the masses socialized exactly where governments, corporations and religions want them. These macro institutions have already mastered the socialization of the masses to do their bidding. We don't need gene therapy.

It is actually in many ways better to have a dumbed down compliant masses who go blindly to work and ask for so little out of life. They leave a lot of room for the rest of us.

I am a member of the 1%. Not in my monetary wealth but in being emancipated from consensus reality. I rather like being in such a small minority. I rather like the vast majority of humanity being self contained and confined in socialized boxes that keep them obedient to the macro institutions to whom they are compliant.

Let's keep things just as they are please.

[onlooker]

Interactive World population site

http://worldpopulationhistory.org/map/1 ... or/1/0/25/

[Ibon]

I now have second thoughts on gene therapy to solve human overshoot. Dwarfing is the intentional breeding of dwarf versions of animals. We do this with dogs and horses. Why not use gene therapy to do this to humans, bringing the average size of humans down to say 2 feet tall and weighing no more than 30 pounds. Calorie intake would be greatly reduced. Mass transit and airplanes could handle thousands of passengers. Housing and automobiles could be made at a fraction of their current size.

Our species ecological foot print would be greatly reduced.

That's it. The solution to all our problems.

[Tanada]

I now have second thoughts on gene therapy to solve human overshoot. Dwarfing is the intentional breeding of dwarf versions of animals. We do this with dogs and horses. Why not use gene therapy to do this to humans, bringing the average size of humans down to say 2 feet tall and weighing no more than 30 pounds. Calorie intake would be greatly reduced. Mass transit and airplanes could handle thousands of passengers. Housing and automobiles could be made at a fraction of their current size.

Our species ecological foot print would be greatly reduced.

That's it. The solution to all our problems.

A dogs brain is only about the size of a walnut so shrinking their skull from wolf size to shiatsu size doesn't effect brain development. Taking a average 5 foot human and shrinking them to 2 foot with a requisite shrinkage of the brain case on the other hand would reduce the species to around Rhesus monkey size brain power. Alternatively if you keep an adult head on that monkey size body you get an extremely top heavy mal proportioned structure that I can not imagine would be pleasant to look upon or be around.

I think you could manage say 4', the size of an African pygmy and save a lot of consumption without going off the deep end.

Why mess with genes when we already have the masses socialized exactly where governments, corporations and religions want them. These macro institutions have already mastered the socialization of the masses to do their bidding. We don't need gene therapy.

It is actually in many ways better to have a dumbed down compliant masses who go blindly to work and ask for so little out of life. They leave a lot of room for the rest of us.

It isn't the mass of humanity that is going to be engineered, it is the 1%, perhaps event the 10% if it is cheap enough. The engineered will be as physically appealing and mentally structured as science can manage and they will look at the 'natural' 1% the same way those folks look at Joe6P. Live long enough and you might enjoy the irony of the elites getting put in their place by the engineered who will follow.

Heck if you want to go down KaiserJeep's road to the borg you can even add biological wifi receiver organs to the engineered so they can network like the telepaths in all those old stories. People seem to think Telepathy was invented with Star trek but stories of ind reading and mental connection go back to the stone age! Even Dracula as written by Bram Stoker was able to mentally communicate with his 'brides' from afar and that was 70 years before Star Trek was even written down as an idea. A little gene engineering and Viole' telepathy becomes real.

[dohboi]

Isn't Homo Floresiensis ("hobbit") reputed to have too small a skull for a modern human brain, yet still seems to have had about the same range of abilities (control of fire, complex tool making...) of other larger Homo species of the time? Something of a mystery, as I recall.

But of course, even tiny people can manage to use up enormous resources, if they choose to jet around the globe constantly and drive big humvees. Hey, maybe Plant is really a Hobbit after all!!

[Tanada]

Isn't Homo Floresiensis ("hobbit") reputed to have too small a skull for a modern human brain, yet still seems to have had about the same range of abilities (control of fire, complex tool making...) of other larger Homo species of the time? Something of a mystery, as I recall.

But of course, even tiny people can manage to use up enormous resources, if they choose to jet around the globe constantly and drive big humvees. Hey, maybe Plant is really a Hobbit after all!!

The problem with Homo Floresiensis in this context is stature. Pygmy peoples from different locations around the world range from 4' to 4'6" in height. Best estimates of Homo Floresiensis is that they stood 3'7", which is just 5" shorter than the smaller end of 'pygmy peoples'. Heck I went to school with a brother and sister who were 5'2" and 4'10" respectively, the brother was a good friend of mine who had to get a waiver to join the military as he was under the minimum height requirement.

So redesigning humans to be 4' or 4'6" seems entirely doable, but Ibon's goal of 2' not so much...

[onlooker]

Groundwater Aquifers running out of fresh water. This is directly due to overpopulation or so it seems
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RjsThobgq7Q

[dohboi]

World's Population to Hit 7.75 Billion in 2019

https://dw.com/en/worlds-population-to- ... a-51758905

The alarming increase is the estimate from a German foundation that monitors populations. It also suggests the 8 billion mark will be reached in the year 2023.

The estimate gauges that the world's population will have increased by 83 million since January 1 2019, which equates to roughly the number of inhabitants in Germany.

The globe's population is increasing at the rate of 156 every minute and Germany's Foundation for World Population (DSW) predict the 8 billion mark will be surpassed within four years.

The foundation also predicts that Africa's population will double over the next 20 years. An African mother bears 4.4 children on average compared to the global average of 2.4.

[Newfie]

Thanks for posting.