Wednesday, April 27, 2005

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | First synthetic virus created:

That was 11 July, 2002:

Scientists have assembled the first synthetic virus.
To construct the virus, the researchers say they followed a recipe they downloaded from the internet and used gene sequences from a mail-order supplier.
The animals were paralysed and then died.
The more dangerous smallpox virus would be complex and difficult to assemble, but Cello says, "it would probably in the future be possible".

Now, more recent (January 12, 2005), in the International Herald Tribune:

Synthetic virus in reach

An unexpectedly sudden advance in synthesizing long lengths of DNA has put researchers within reach of manufacturing genomes the size of the smallpox virus.
This will permit efficient and rapid synthesis of any Select Agent virus genome in very short order," he said, referring to the list of dangerous pathogens and toxins that possessors are required to register with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In his view, any facility possessing the new DNA synthesis equipment should be assumed capable of making any virus on the Select Agent list.
Church has no interest in synthesizing dangerous pathogens but is aware of the potential for misuse of DNA synthesis. He recently proposed that the machines and ingredients for synthesizing DNA should be controlled, with manufacturers selling supplies only to facilities whose DNA machines are registered.

And then I'll refer the reader to the book "Our Final Century" by Sir Martin Rees, for a more disquieting (I think they use this word quite often in relation to the book) analysis of these and other pending extinction events. The Institute for the Future (IFTF) may also be of interest for keeping an eye on...uhm...the future.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

1. Hang in There: The 25-Year Wait for Immortality and 2. Inventor sets his sights on immortality

From 1.:

By then, people will start lives that could last 1,000 years or more. Our human genomes will be modified to include the genetic material of microorganisms that live in the soil, enabling us to break down the junk proteins that our cells amass over time and which they can’t digest on their own. People will have the option of looking and feeling the way they did at 20 for the rest of their lives, or opt for an older look if they get bored. Of course, everyone will be required to go in for age rejuvenation therapy once every decade or so, but that will be a small price to pay for near-immortality.

Your background is in computer science. How does that qualify you to spearhead a project on aging?

My background is enormously beneficial. There are really very important differences between the type of creativity involved in being a basic scientist and being an engineer. It means that I’m able to think in very different ways and come up with approaches to things that are different from the way a basic scientist might think.

And then from 2.:

The inventor and computer scientist is serious about his health because if it fails him he might not live long enough to see humanity achieve immortality, a seismic development he predicts in his new book is no more than 20 years away.

Why on earth are these computer scientists getting into this immortality thing? And, man, that beard! Metusaleh indeed.

But I have been thinking on this immortality thing, and I want some. I haven't, though, thought of the interesting consequence - that of the sudden increase in value of one's life when you decide to become...well...immortal. No more extreme sports. No more adventures. No more taking a stroll on the wild side.

There was something else, but it's slipped my mind (will have to look into some of those supplements Kurtzweil is suggesting). Will get back to this thread sometime.