Sorcerer

Well, since your argument is almost entirely subjective, except for the bit about needed to colonise other planets..... (even this could be said to be subjective, since we need to ask why we need to survive, but only as subjective as my argument)..... I don't think you have the right to be so arrogantly hypocritical of his comment. And yes I realise that there are alot of rich idiots out there. "Danger" is fake in adventure tourism.

For a single cell, this is the idea behind cloning. However for a person, well perhaps somatic cells could be altered, but the new surface proteins expressed probably would invoke an autoimmune response, leading to rejection. As for total DNA transplant, no I don't think so, it would be impossible to get every cell and not damage something vital in the process, also theres the problem of the autoimmune response during the transition. A DNA transplant for gametes though would be interesting, this would allow surrogate sperm donors for people whos sperm doesn't function properly due problems other than nuclear DNA..... I'm not sure if these are common, but I would bet its a likely cause of infertility. The same applies for eggs. Haploid genetic material would have to be used though, otherwise this is just cloning.

I was reading in New Scientist recently that the WHO is worried about people contracting a human flu at the same time as having avian flu, this is because the human and avian flu strains can combine and produce a virus which can transmit from human to human, while only bird to human and bird to bird transmission is possible at the moment. I was wondering, why aren't they also worried about a bird catching human flu while it is infected with avian flu, couldn't the same thing happen??

It shows that if you want to do something for a thrill there are plenty of other (less wasteful) options.

Right it says that the 23s is the functional site for peptide bond formation.... I wonder what part the other 2 rRNA and the protein play then, most likely an adaption that increases efficency, obviously an adaption that occured very early in lifes evolution. This is a fine example of cooperation between biochemicals in evolution.

Not to try and turn you into a hypochondriac or anything, but perhaps if you're not satified with your doctors opinion you could go see another. Or even go see a sleep specialist......... fork out the $$ if u dont have free health care.

Shingles only occurs in people with AIDS or a people with an immune system suppressed for other reasons though doesn't it?

But at what cost? Several weeks off school, painful itchy sores and potentially deadly fever (for an infant). How much more effective is it, do you have evidence?

Well, ok, now you're getting somewhere. However the way I see it, humanity has 3 billion years untill the sun begins to nova, this is a LOOOOOONG³ time, by wasting resources unecessarily now, we may have only a short time untill our planet becomes a wasteland. Now, since there hasnt been any M type planets even discovered yet, it is a choice between staying here and making this world as good as possible, or making this world a wasteland and moving to another even more barren wasteland. I prefer to make this world better. Yes I know this, this is why I feel free to gripe at any extravagantly wasteful actions. I know I am a bit of a hypocrite myself, with my car and my computer, and my fan heater.... but on a scale compared with space tourism this is a like a drop in the bucket. Yes, I am a Humanist who thinks Humans stink.

I think you'd be wasting the bullet.

Justify spending that many resources on sending people into space just for a holiday. Once you do that perhaps I'll accept your argument that it isnt a waste. Do you beleive the earth has unlimited resources? Do you think that spending them on luxuries like space travel for holidays is better than spending them on say; welfare, humanitarian aid and development of sustainable energy? And thats just naming a few. Oh, was that the point, I didn't miss that one, I realise alot of people are ignorant of this argument. I thought perhaps "the point" was a good reason for space tourism.

Ditto...... I aint forcing anything. Again: what is the point?

Thats your opinion. What is the point?

Extremely. You want an objective argument? As I said, its a waste of resources, they could take a holiday here on earth. They could use a simulator and the experience would be exactly the same, except for 0 G, if they want 0 G they could go on that plane that simulates it with freefall.... if they want be a pilot, fly a plane.

chicken pox were painful though..... especially the one I got on the end of my errrrr thinging....... can I say penis? Is it worse when your an adult, I know mumps aren't meant to make u sterile, what about chicken pox.... BTW theres a MMR vaccine, so no need for measles, mumps, rubela parties.

Yes, but I go to places that are worth while going to.... not the inside of a box in a vaccuum.

Its nothing a Simulator can't do though. Also what about the huge waste of resouces to basically travel nowhere.... its a waste of money and resources.... I'm having an idea, pay me $100k and you can travel in my VR simulator, I'll just tell you its space.... Total Recall anyone?

Chimps more violent that humans?? I don't think chimps carry uzis around in their hoods or watch boxing/kickboxing for fun.

Yes, but only if its during the school term!

No, because I beleive things are not infintely divisible, I think Max Planck will concur. However, see this thread; the idea is different, but removes the need for a beggining: http://www.scienceforums.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6341 Also, if the beggining was a singularity, as an observer in the future of that singularity, we look back towards it, but cannot see it, not just for other more practicle reasons (photons and electron soup) but because it is infinitely stretched backward in time.... just as we can never observe an object passing the event horison of a black hole.

Well I guess the 0 gravity would be an up side..... however everything else is worthless, the experience would be equal to a VR simulator here on earth, you'd never get to do a space walk or anything.... I mean if it was the moon, that might be cool, but just to go in a ship and view earth from orbit.... nothing you couldnt do on a wide screen TV.

What kind of a retard would want to visit a void.... and PAY for it..... I can't beleive how stupid some people are...... How about I set up a resort in my toilet...... under the rim, the final frontier.

Light absorbtion is increase with light coloured skin to increase the production of vitamin D, hair colour is also linked, because alot of light hits the head. I speculate, not only is eye colour for the reduction of glare, but lighter eye colour is more prevalent in populations at higher lattitudes (where theres reduced light exposure) because of the effect on the production of melatonin. Actually one way to test this hypothesis would be to look at the frequency of people with sleep disorders above say 40 degrees lattitude and correlate it with eye colour fequency, accounting for genetic dominance. .....actually it would be chronic fatigue, not insomnia, because you would be getting less light..... glare doesn't really account for eye colour when you consider that European populations have adapted for snow - and glare is a major problem in snow.