A Possible Future

[foodchain]

Okay, say its the future and they have some kind of computer program that can put together genes to add any kind of sci-fi trait to an existing organism. To add to this your genes or the human genome has been modified basically to have genes that code for proteins and what not that can integrate these genes.

 

What kind of an impact would that have? What if we could make it so people could run 100mph and skin could harvest solar energy for stuff? To whatever could be possible, do you think that would be the best route to take humanity really, into that kind of a world where such is possible?

 

I do not know now if that is to far out. Evolution operating on genes seems to have been able to produce all kinds of variation, for instance animals thriving at depths and conditions no one thought possible.

 

On a side note could be able to run like that get rid of cars, imagine highways full of people running at 80mph, to funny. Hey maybe we could cure death even.

[Sisyphus]

"Any kind of sci fi trait" is too general. That could mean literally anything. Do I think it would be a good thing if we could genetically modify ourselves for the "better," as subjectively defined by us? I think it could be. I don't have any fundamental moral or ethical objection to the idea itself.

 

I don't think running 80mph is in the cards, though, at least not purely through genetic manipulation that ends up with something remotely resembling a human. And taking energy from sunlight would be cool, but you're not going to get much from the surface area of skin. Trees spread out enormous amounts of surface area in the form of leaves to get what they need, and they don't even need energy to move around... let alone run at 80mph...

[Mr Skeptic]

Yes, the laws of physics will limit what can be done. But we should be able to do very cool stuff. Say, replacing some of our connective tissue with nanotubes. I think the first thing we will do will be artificial tetrachromats, because that seems to be the natural outcome of one of the first trials of gene therapy (curing colorblindness in monkeys).

[Moontanman]

I wanna be a centaur, is that science fictiony enough?

[foodchain]

That's part of the question, in that how closed ended is genetic variation? Could you make it so such could be even manipulated on a conscious level. Not to mention what would happen when you could manipulate the human mind that way, what kind of thought could you generate.

 

Here is something cool to think about. You could decide to go swimming at the bottom of the oceans, and maybe even have some form of vision in terms of combination of senses, then even pop out on the surface and sprout some wings. Its all rather sci fi now, but in all reality is it something totally impossible?

 

I think one issue of it all simply would be the impact it has on horizontal gene transfer as most of life is embedded in some sense that way. Could all of these designer genes start to get spread somehow that way. Another thing is if such technology or that ability would allow eventually for cancer to be something of the past. I don't see how being mutation is constant unless we somehow could end mutation.

 

In short though if it were possible to use genes that way, I personally think the universe is the only limit in time giving such ability or technology.