Interesting Stuff Thread

gaynorvader

koth wrote: »

In a technical tour de force, Japanese researchers created eggs and sperm in the laboratory. Now, scientists have to determine how to use those cells safely — and ethically.

Since last October, molecular biologist Katsuhiko Hayashi has received around a dozen e-mails from couples, most of them middle-aged, who are desperate for one thing: a baby. One menopausal woman from England offered to come to his laboratory at Kyoto University in Japan in the hope that he could help her to conceive a child. “That is my only wish,” she wrote.

The requests started trickling in after Hayashi published the results of an experiment that he had assumed would be of interest mostly to developmental biologists. Starting with the skin cells of mice in vitro, he created primordial germ cells (PGCs), which can develop into both sperm and eggs. To prove that these laboratory-grown versions were truly similar to naturally occurring PGCs, he used them to create eggs, then used those eggs to create live mice. He calls the live births a mere 'side effect' of the research, but that bench experiment became much more, because it raised the prospect of creating fertilizable eggs from the skin cells of infertile women. And it also suggested that men's skin cells could be used to create eggs, and that sperm could be generated from women's cells. (Indeed, after the research was published, the editor of a gay and lesbian magazine e-mailed Hayashi for more information.)

So now we can make a woman from a man's rib?

Bannasidhe

gaynorvader wrote: »

So now we can make a woman from a man's rib?

WE ARE GODS!

Sarky

I always said "if humans don't play god, who will?"

Delirium

gaynorvader wrote: »

So now we can make a woman from a man's rib?

It's actually much less invasive than that and requires substanially less raw materials. Seems God could have used a Japanese scientist to assist with creating Adam and Eve :P

PopePalpatine

I usually use the term "playing God" to refer to throwing a destructive tantrum. :pac:

Bannasidhe

PopePalpatine wrote: »

I usually use the term "playing God" to refer to throwing a destructive tantrum. :pac:

WE CAN DO THAT TOO!

Sarky

Bannasidhe wrote: »

WE CAN DO THAT TOO!

And do it better than anything the bible relates to us about the supreme wrath of god.

Not exactly a good thing, but illustrates that beating god is pretty easy. We've caught up on most of his other aspects too, as the news above shows.

gaynorvader

Bannasidhe wrote: »

WE CAN DO THAT TOO!

Hey, we made economics like one language, right, and then we built these massive towers to show how good we were at making money, and then some people on their god's behalf knocked them down. Still waiting for the spreading to the four corners of the globe and having our economics taken away though.

Dave!

On TV3 now, on Vincent Browne's show, they're discussing separation of church and state

Cabaal

http://gizmodo.com/this-comprehensive-map-traces-463-of-the-bibles-major-1188177994?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

This Comprehensive Map Traces 463 of the Bible's Contradictions

MrPudding

Cabaal wrote: »

http://gizmodo.com/this-comprehensive-map-traces-463-of-the-bibles-major-1188177994?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

This Comprehensive Map Traces 463 of the Bible's Contradictions

CONTEXT!!!

MrP

Sarky

Scientists successfully grow miniature human brains from re-engineered skin cells.

Apparently the brains are about the size you'd find in a 9 week old foetus, they're not considering trying for larger structures because of the ethical ramifications, and there's a whole sh*ttonne of potential study to be had with these as it is. No doubt someone is going to denounce this research as blasphemy and murder anyway.

Bannasidhe

Sarky wrote: »

Scientists successfully grow miniature human brains from re-engineered skin cells.

Apparently the brains are about the size you'd find in a 9 week old foetus, they're not considering trying for larger structures because of the ethical ramifications, and there's a whole sh*ttonne of potential study to be had with these as it is. No doubt someone is going to denounce this research as blasphemy and murder anyway.

If it is 'murder' to abort a fetus that has no brain will it also be 'murder' to abort a brain with no fetus?

Sarky

Particularly if these brains weren't created by the sacred act of filthy shameful sex that you should feel bad about enjoying?

gaynorvader

Sarky wrote: »

Particularly if these brains weren't created by the sacred act of filthy shameful sex that you should feel bad about enjoying?

Aren't they pretty much soulless, biological computers?

Sarky

One would think so, going by everything the religious kooks rant about. I'm sure they'll find an excuse in Ireland to rant ignorantly about this one.

Just look at the comments section, if you dare. Plenty of calls for the "re-establishment" of the Christian United States, to boot out these evil liberal researchers.

None of them seem to have read far enough to realise it was done in a university in Vienna... :pac:

seamus

Pretty sure if they can get these microbrains to do "stuff" then loopholes will be found in the ethical concerns.

"Oh look, when we connect two of them together, they do <stuff> four times faster. Let's try linking a thousand of them together and see how quickly it works.
....
Damn, these eletronic linkages are too slow, they're hindering the speed the nodes can collaborate. How about we grow some dense nerve fibres and see if they link together organically..."

Sarky

They look to be focusing on understanding early brain development and its effects on things like schizophrenia more than looking for uses for wee organic brains.

For now, anyway. I certainly can't see anything wrong with what they're doing so far.

gaynorvader

seamus wrote: »

Pretty sure if they can get these microbrains to do "stuff" then loopholes will be found in the ethical concerns.

"Oh look, when we connect two of them together, they do <stuff> four times faster. Let's try linking a thousand of them together and see how quickly it works.
....
Damn, these eletronic linkages are too slow, they're hindering the speed the nodes can collaborate. How about we grow some dense nerve fibres and see if they link together organically..."

Why not much bigger brains? :P

Sarky

I'm no expert but I imagine brains end up wired rather differently after they get big enough. It'd be like trying to make an efficient network by joining together every version of Windows ever released.

robindch

gaynorvader wrote: »

Sarky wrote: »

Particularly if these brains weren't created by the sacred act of filthy shameful sex that you should feel bad about enjoying?

Aren't they pretty much soulless, biological computers?

The fundamentalist catholic view -- unless it's changed without me finding out -- is that artificial means of life production (insemination etc), produces humans who don't have souls.

I can't even begin to imagine the degree of mindmelt that this might cause amongst the heavily religious, but there you go. That's what I believe they believe.

Sarky

Could you get a quote from Popette? :pac:

robindch

Sarky wrote: »

Could you get a quote from Popette? :pac:

Nope! I have no intention of reanimating a long-dead bugbear.

Hotblack Desiato

Synthetic microbrains won't be enough to save us from the zombie apocalypse.
Embiggen 'em.

Turtwig

ninja900 wrote: »

Synthetic microbrains won't be enough to save us from the zombie apocalypse.
Embiggen 'em.

We need something a little more cromulent to save us from that.

Genghiz Cohen

gaynorvader wrote: »

Aren't they pretty much soulless, biological computers?

Wait, are we talking about programmers now?

sbsquarepants

Sarky wrote: »

Scientists successfully grow miniature human brains from re-engineered skin cells.

Apparently the brains are about the size you'd find in a 9 week old foetus, they're not considering trying for larger structures because of the ethical ramifications, and there's a whole sh*ttonne of potential study to be had with these as it is. No doubt someone is going to denounce this research as blasphemy and murder anyway.

It's fascinating stuff - but to be honest i'm not sure at all how i'd feel about having the ability to create conscious sentient entities, would a lab grown brain even achieve sentience? Would it be aware that it's alive at all? Without any sensory input what would it think or experience?.
I'd probably be ok with actual people, provided they are given the same rights and freedoms as you and me, but the thoughts of a lab full of living brains in jars is a bit nightmarish do you not think?

gaynorvader

sbsquarepants wrote: »

It's fascinating stuff - but to be honest i'm not sure at all how i'd feel about having the ability to create conscious sentient entities, would a lab grown brain even achieve sentience? Would it be aware that it's alive at all? Without any sensory input what would it think or experience?.
I'd probably be ok with actual people, provided they are given the same rights and freedoms as you and me, but the thoughts of a lab full of living brains in jars is a bit nightmarish do you not think?

It's an interesting dilemma alright. I wonder would it be able to know anything without any input? Babies learn by using their senses.

recedite

What if you grew a big one, and then transplanted it into the skull of a large gorilla? It should gain full control of the body after a few months, and then.....awesome.

Thwip!

recedite wrote: »

What if you grew a big one, and then transplanted it into the skull of a large gorilla? It should gain full control of the body after a few months, and then.....awesome.

Syfy have their new movie