Humanity Enhanced

Before or after exam #2 tomorrow we'll preview our next read, Russell Blackford's Humanity Enhanced. His website is here. And his twitter account.

Group 2 Study questions

1. The idea of teleportation originated with Gene Roddenberry.

           (False)

2. The biggest misconception about teleportation is that it involves sending material stuff

           (True)

3. With synthesized DNA, says Venter, it will eventually be possible to create all forms of life.

           (True)

4. Antibiotics are all destined to become useless after a while, and genomics cannot help

           (False)

5. Why did Venter's team add "watermarks" to their synthetic genome

           (To distinguish it from any naturally occurring species)

6. The process of transferring the genome of one species into the cell of another is called ______.

           (Nuclear Transfer)

7. What was the first live organism sequenced by Venter's method

           (Haemophilus Influenzae)

8. Who pioneered the plus-minus sequencing of DNA and sequenced the first viral DNA genome?

           (Fred Sanger)

Group 1 Study Guide Questions

1. What two scientists are credited with the discovery of the structure of DNA?
James Watson and Francis Crick

2. True/False: Ribosomes transcribe DNA into RNA
False

3. What color do gram positive bacteria stain?
Purple

4. What way does radiation affect DNA structure?
It breaks the chemical bonds that link the nitrogenous bases together

5. Who was the German embryologist who published the first nuclear-transplantation experiments, pioneer of his self-named "developmental mechanics," and awarded the Nobel Prize for his efforts in 1935?
Hans Spemann (p. 97)

6. What example does Venter use for reconciling that his positive innovations could potentially be used for negative purposes?
The use of fire, since the beginning of human existence, could be used for good or evil. pg 154

7. What was the name of the Japanese project to turn Mycoplasma genitalium into a computer-simulated version of the cell? 
E-Cell Project

8. What scientist is known for her work on bacterial cell division and proving spatial organization inside of bacterial cells, especially in regards to division and the cell cycle?
Lucy Shapiro (p.145)

9. What does Venter think is a very realistic and specific way that drug resistant infections can be treated in the future?
Synthetic bacteriophages (pg 176)

10. What television series popularized the idea of the transporter?
Star Trek (p. 160)

Group 3 Study Guide Questions

1.T/F. There is as much biomass in the subsurface of the Earth as in the entire visible world.
(True)

2.What are some key producers of genetic mutations?
(Oxygen and UV radiation)

3.What makes phages a possible alternative to anti-bacterial disease?
(Their specificity for the targeted bacterial culture)

4.Name 2 of the 5 guiding ethical principles which are considered relevant to the social implications of emerging technologies.
(Public beneficence, responsible stewardship, intellectual freedom and responsibility, democratic deliberation, justice and fairness)

5. Proteins that contain a zinc atom and are shaped like an index finger which help read the DNA software are called _____?
(zinc fingers)

6. What natural technique do bacteria perform to coordinate the behaviors of their cell populations?
(Quorum sensing)

7. What was the first organism to be modeled in precise detail?
(Mycoplasma genitalium)

8. T/F. Pansperima is a hypothesis that life exists throughout the Universe, distributed by meteoroids, asteroids, comets and planetoids.
(True)

9. T/F. Specialized cells can be returned into an immature cell.
(True)

10.  Eukaryotic cell's engulfment of the microbial mitochondria driven by evolution is called ____?
(Endosymbiosis)

11.   How much genetic material do Modern humans and Neanderthals share?
(3-4%)

12. T/F In the late 18th century/early 19th century, scientists had a hard time accepting DNA as a ''code script'' because it seemed far too simple in composition to transmit genetic information.
(True)

13. ___ is more versatile than DNA in a way that it is both an information carrier and an enzyme.
(RNA, ribonucleic acid)

14. T/F. Human and bacterial ribosomes are indistinguishable, thus taking antibiotics harms both the bacterial and the human cells equally.

(False)

15. The age in which the once distinct domains of computer codes and those that program life are beginning to merge is called _____?
(The Digital Age of biology)

Group 1 Post

After discussing the Quiz, we began going over late-posted questions and browsed through discussion questions on the different posts, including Dr. Oliver's daily post. After the old posts, we brought back up the issue of extended lives. Mitch said he was on the same page as Nikita and would like to learn more about the universe. Meredith said it was difficult to imagine living forever and how many responsibilities you have to take on as time goes on, and I threw out there that it would be a bad idea to manage our current ecological resources. As a class, we thought it sounded nice in concept, but no clear consensus could be reached.

We then began a discussion of the movie Divergent and the aspects behind the movie. We spent the last few minutes of class talking about the test and assigning who will handle the questions.

Daily Quiz

March 27

T/F
1. The idea of teleportation originated with Gene Roddenberry.

2. The biggest misconception about teleportation is that it involves sending material stuff.

3.  With synthesized DNA, says Venter, it will eventually be possible to create all forms of life.

4. The digital transmission of DNA code likely will result in customized medical treatments.

5. Antibiotics are all destined to become useless after a while, and genomics cannot help.

6. Venter thinks we on Earth are probably alone in the cosmos.

7. The day when we can send a robotically controlled genome-sequencer to distant planets is far off.

8. Venter's genome is already in outer space.

9. There is as much biomass in the subsurface of the Earth as in the entire visible world.







1. F-160. 2. T-162. 3.T-165. 4. T-165. 5. F-171-2. 6. F-177. F-180. 7. F, 186. 8. T-187. 9. T-182

DQ: More on life extension. I'm always surprised when I hear a young and healthy person say they don't want to live a lot more than four-score. Why not? Bored with life? Not enough to keep yourself occupied and engaged? Hope you die before you get old? Or, ...?

DQ:  How do you feel about the prospect of humanity's extended presence (courtesy of digital teleportation etc.) in the cosmos?

DQ: What difference does it make to you that we might confirm the existence of more near-earth planets? [On npr I heard an astronomer say this was an exciting possibility because then they get to name them. Planet Biden? Surely that's not the real cause for excitement?!]

DQ: What difference does it make to you that life might once have existed on Mars? Or that life on earth may in fact have come from Mars? Should we devote resources to studying such questions?

DQ: What should we do about antibiotic resistance?

DQ: Can you explain what Venter means when he says fermions are responsible for the whole of chemistry and biology? 163

DQ: What kind of regulation do you think will be required in order to insure the appropriate, safe, and fair use of  personal 3-D printers? 177

FQ: What are some possibilities enabled by the ability to send DNA code anywhere on the planet instantaneously? 165

FQ: Why are phage therapies controversial? 176

Andromeda Strain 185

DQ: Where do you think biology is heading in the next 70 years? Are you confident that the "voyage will be empowering"? 187

FQ: What are some key producers of genetic mutations?
(oxygen and UV) p.181.

FQ: What makes phages a possible alternative to anti-bacterial disease?
(their specificity for the targeted bacterial culture)

DQ:  Do you agree with a quote made by Claude Bernard that was used by Ventor in the Acknowledgments section of his book, ''Art is I; science is We?''

link: http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/tardigrade/index.html
This link talks about one of the most durable animals that we know of: tardigrades. Animals like these make the theory of panspermia more plausible.

Group 1- Chapter 10 Discussion

I was not able to be in class on Tuesday, but I wanted us to have somewhere to post our questions! I am sure I missed a great discussion!

Group 2

On Tuesday, our discussion focused on the idea of longevity/immortality (at least in respect to age).  We bounced around the question, "would you like to live forever?"  It seemed that many thought that living forever did not appeal to them.  There was the idea that people would "outstay their welcome" and use too many resources.  There was also the idea that you would become bored with life after a few hundred years.  We also touched on the other side of the issue.  We talked about all the knowledge, experience, and potential for more that is lost when great minds pass on.  We talked about what kind of research/progress would be occurring if (insert your favorite scientist's name here) were still alive and in his/her prime.  Nikita said that he would like to live forever just because when he felt like he had lived a full/good life he would have the honor of ending his life on his own terms.  I thought it was an interesting idea.  Personally, I feel like I would enjoy living forever.  The world/universe has so much to offer, and there is so much knowledge out there to learn.  No one has time to experience or learn it all.  If we could live forever, we could expand our minds to encompass so much more.  We also kind of vaguely touched on needed this long life to master space travel/colonization.

Group 3 Ch. 11,12

During the last class, primarily, our group was targeted with a thought-provoking question of whether we would want to live forever. In my opinion being able to live forever would be a privilege; a privilege that would allow me to have a choice of whether I was done living my life or wanted to live on (possible forever). Many issues and concerns were brought up against my response, including overpopulation and/or resource scarcity. Due to the lack of time we could not have a full discussion on the issue and hopefully we will have enough time tomorrow to finish what we have started.

FQ:  T/F. There is as much biomass in the subsurface of the Earth as in the entire visible world.
(T) p182

FQ: What are some key producers of genetic mutations?
(oxygen and UV) p.181.

FQ: What makes phages a possible alternative to anti-bacterial disease?
(their specificity for the targeted bacterial culture)

DQ:  Do you agree with a quote made by Claude Bernard that was used by Ventor in the Acknowledgments section of his book, ''Art is I; science is We?''

link: http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/tardigrade/index.html

This link talks about one of the most durable animals that we know of: tardigrades. Animals like these make the theory of panspermia more plausible.

Imagining the Post-Antibiotics Future

"Health authorities have struggled to convince the public that this is a crisis. In September, Dr. Thomas Frieden, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, issued a blunt warning: “If we’re not careful, we will soon be in a post-antibiotic era. For some patients and some microbes, we are already there.” The chief medical officer of the United Kingdom, Dame Sally Davies — who calls antibiotic resistance as serious a threat as terrorism — recently published a book in which she imagines what might come next. She sketches a world where infection is so dangerous that anyone with even minor symptoms would be locked in confinement until they recover or die. It is a dark vision, meant to disturb. But it may actually underplay what the loss of antibiotics would mean..."

Imagining the Post-Antibiotics Future — Editor’s Picks — Medium

Daily Quiz

March 25

1. FQ: Name 1 of the 5 guiding ethical principles which are considered relevant to the social implications of emerging technologies.

2. Proteins that contain a zinc atom and are shaped like an index finger which help read the DNA software are called _____?

3. What natural technique do bacteria perform to coordinate the behaviors of their cell populations?

4. What was the first organism to be modeled in precise detail?

5. What was the name of the Japanese project to turn Mycoplasma genitalium into a computer-simulated version of the cell?

6. What is the trophy won at the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition, and what is the significance of its shape?

7. What benefits might come from new amino acids not present in nature?

8. What informational development has enabled everyone's opportunity "to play with the software of life"? 

==
1. (Public beneficence, responsible stewardship, intellectual freedom and responsibility, democratic deliberation, justice and fairness) p.156. 2. (zinc fingers) p.150. 3. (quorum sensing) p.148. 4. (Mycoplasma genitalium). 5.  E-Cell Project (pg 141). 6. large aluminum Lego brick that symbolizes the belief that life can be built by snapping together subroutines (pg 146). 7. Resistance to viral infectcions, deepened understanding of fundamental biology and of life-151. 8. The democratization of knowledge and the rise of "open-source biology"-155

ALSO OF NOTE:

Virtual Physiological, Human Brain Project - 140

"electronic cell" - 141

Stanford modeling project - 143

Playful iGEM projects - 149

DQ: Do you share Venter's hopes for the future manipulation of the software of life? 

DQ: Is the question of  what it means to be human fundamentally a scientific question, to which an empirical answer can be engineered?

DQ: Do you think Asimov's Laws of Robotics address the major ethical and precautionary reservations people have about synthetic biology?

DQ: Should there be a moratorium on studies that might be abused by terrorists? Do the benefits of the work outweigh the risks of terror? (153)

DQ: How does "synthetic biology free the design of life from the shackles of evolution"? Would that be a good thing? (154)

DQ: How should we regulate "biohackers" and "biopunks" (155) and achieve an appropriate "balance" (156)?

DQ: Do you think Venter and his peers adequately appreciate the ecological fragility of "biodiversity" (157)?

DQ: Do you worry about a new "Frankenstein"? (156)

DQ: Are you a Luddite? Do you agree with Isaac Asimov? Do you anticipate a golden age of Enhancement, building on the efforts of Venter? (158)

DQ: Where do YOU draw a line between scientific freedom and national security?

link: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/10/us/a-nation-challenged-bioterrorism-obtaining-anthrax-is-hard-but-not-impossible.html

The link is about bioterrorism and how it is difficult to perform yet not impossible. 

(DQ)-How do you feel about turning bioengineering and alterations of DNA into a commercial competition? Is this a clever ploy to draw out creativity, or making light of the importance of these vital systems?

Here is a link interviewing some of the contestants in iGEM: http://vimeo.com/10043261

Group 2: Peripatetic

During our peripatetic experience, we started towards the KUC to get a map.  We felt the best place to start was to continue where we left off with our conversation from class regarding the human/information system/free will discussion.  We talked about how we would feel if we found that we were just really complex information processing machine.  Some said that it would bother them to realize they had no free will.  Others said, they would continue on as normal, without giving it much thought.  After that we kind of got off topic, because I mentioned an assignment about the novel, World War Z.  We talked about the ethical conundrums that people might face if the world were to be struck with a deadly pandemic (I will avoid the zombie filled part of the conversation).  We talked about quarantines and protecting "important people" from infection.  There were many differing views upon this situation, all of which I cannot remember.

Group 3 Ch. 8,9 Peripatetic Experience

During our peripatetic walk we have considered whether or not Ventor claimed that he had synthesized the ''first synthetic life'' a bit too early. After a small discussion we all came to the conclusion that, indeed, the claim was made prematurely. Nonetheless, Ventor's research had tremendous importance and implications such as creation of pharmaceuticals and biofuels. In Ventor's defense, claiming that he had synthesized first synthetic life was not entirely wrong since the definition of what ''life'' consists of is very broad. According to what our group has discussed, in order to claim the first synthetic life creation one had to create it from scratch. I gave an interesting example of this situation: while having a car and not knowing how it operates or how it is built, a mechanic builds an engine and inserts it into the car which is then able to be driven; mechanic claims that he had build the first car.
Another discussion that we had was concerned with the Big Bang and our views on the theory. A few interesting remarks were pointed out and eventually lead to us talking about the first two episodes of Cosmos.

Group 1 Chapters 8/9

On Thursday, the class split off into outdoor groups in order to test the Peripatetic waters. It didn't prove difficult for us to maintain a full group discussion during the walk, so we had no need to further split our group. Our first stop was the KUC, to pick up a map, and on the way, we discussed dog breeding, our ideas about being outside, the weather in general, and our class thus far. Just before our entrance in to the KUC, we saw a group of LARPing students and decided that these were the people that we would come check out once we had the map. While Logan has a more detailed description of exactly what we talked about written on the map, I can provide the bits that I remember. At the KUC, we marveled at how difficult it actually WAS to find a map: when found, they were sticky and lacking of space to write on. Once outside again, we resumed our observations of the LARP (live action role play) group. Some of us were tentative about the activity, being slightly confused about the reason for doing such a thing and overall curious about what goes on. Over time, we opened up to the concept, understanding the physical endurance and strength it must take to "fight" with others in that context. A few of us even admitted to maybe wanting to try it out some day. As for philosophical discussions regarding the book itself, we were lacking, but I rather enjoyed the time we had and the talks that ensued in lieu of Venter-time.

Yay for a post! I should be able to actually get some questions on this one later tonight!

Venter Sets His Sights on Aging and Death

If you missed this, during Spring Break:

"J. Craig Venter is the latest wealthy entrepreneur to think he can cheat aging and death. And he hopes to do so by resorting to his first love: sequencing genomes. On Tuesday, Dr. Venter announced that he was starting a new company, Human Longevity, which will focus on figuring out how people can live longer and healthier lives. To do that, the company will build what Dr. Venter says will be the largest human DNA sequencing operation in the world, capable of processing 40,000 human genomes a year..."

A Genetic Entrepreneur Sets His Sights on Aging and Death - NYTimes.com

Venter Times Topics page

J. Craig Venter Navigator

A list of resources from around the Web about J. Craig Venter as selected by researchers and editors of The New York Times.

• J. Craig Venter Institute
• jcvi.org
• Synthetic Genomics
• syntheticgenomics.com
• The Richard Dimbleby Lecture (2007)
• video.google.com
• Biography
• edge.org
• 'Craig Venter's Epic Voyage to Redefine the Origin of the Species'
• wired.com

What are Venter’s big-picture goals?

It’s natural to groan and roll your eyes when somebody says they want to save the world, and Venter’s probably earned his share of groans and eye rolls. But if the question is what his goals truly are, I think that’s it. I don’t think it’s any secret that he also wants total freedom, tons of money, a fancy house, expensive cars and boats and infinite toys. But I think when he wakes up in the morning, he actually believes he’s going to change the world. Which at this point, regrettably, is synonymous with saving it. So for example, he wants to replace agribusiness with food-generating algae, and he wants to design organisms that eat the pollution out of smokestacks, and he’d like to replace large sectors of industrial manufacturing with low-impact biomachinery. That doesn’t mean he’s not seeking fame and glory and piles of cash. He’s doing that too. "Behind the Story," NYT 6.4.12

Daily Quiz

March 20

1. What does Venter think Hamilton Smith's work on restriction enzymes laid the groundwork for?

2. Why do most scientists work with E. coli?

3. Why did Venter's team add "watermarks" to their synthetic genome?

4. How does Venter describe the "blue transplant" in the petri dish?

5. Paraphrase one of the "quotations from the literature" by which Venter marked the historic moment of creating the first synthetic life form.

6. What is the "paralysis of thought that comes to philosophers"?

7. What did the Presidential Bioethics Commission say about Venter's achievement?

FQ: What is one of the methods that bacterial cells use to protect their DNA from being cut by its own restriction enzymes?
(Methylation) p.114

FQ: A genetic mutation in which a nucleotide is inserted or deleted causing the sequence of amino acids to be misread is called _____?
(Frameshift mutation) p.121

FQ: T/F. Pansperima is a hypothesis that life exists throughout the Universe, distributed by meteoroids, asteroids, comets and planetoids.
T. p.130

DQ: Now that you have read about what Ventor's research had really done, undoubtedly the research of enormous importance, can Ventor and his team claim that they have synthesized the ''first synthetic life''?

link: http://biologos.org/questions/complexity-of-life
Some thoughts about complexity of life on earth










==
1. genetic engineering-111. 2. "because they can"-115. 3. "to distinguish it from any naturally occurring species"-118. 4. "likely to be the first life form with a completely synthetic genome"-123.
5. [Joyce, Oppenheimer, Feynman=125]. 6. [127]. 7. [128].

Group 1 Discussion of Chapters 6 and 7

Our group did not discuss who would post for today, so I just want us to have something up!

We were part of the class discussion that discussed free-will and the true relevance of life. We discussed that life could just be neurotransmitters firing in our brains and all figments of our mind. Kat made the point that whether these things are true or whether they aren't she will still carry on with her daily routine.

Group 2

We discussed the idea that life is an information system.  The information system of life gets its data and programming from DNA.  That thought essentially makes humans (and all other life) computers (albeit really fancy/self replicating/growing/etc computer).  We talked about how this affects us in a self-awareness/free will sense.  Does the fact that we are just "computers" mean that, in reality, we have no free will?  Are we just a plethora of chemical reactions and energy conversions moving and interacting according to the laws of physics?  Or are each autonomous individuals making our own decisions that affect our lives?  We also talked about how we would feel if it were one way or the other.  Would you decide that life was pointless if you found that you really had no free will?  One way or another, it will not really affect the way that people live their lives if it ever comes to light that one way of thinking is the truth (at least that is my opinion).

Group 3

We talked about the view on how humans and all other organisms are no different than computers. Each organism has characteristics according to its DNA, just like a computer functions according to its software. The ethical issue to this was how people would respond if they were being classified similarly to a computer, a nonliving entity. People practicing a religion would most likely be opposed to this philosophy and believe that there are characteristics that separate us from nonliving matter; however, some individuals may not feel offended at all and feel that there are features that we share with computers.

Daily Quiz

March 18

1. How does radiation affect DNA structure?

2.  The process of transferring the genome of one species into the cell of another is called ______.

3. What does a polymerase chain reaction do?

4. Eukaryotic cell's engulfment of the microbial mitochondria driven by evolution is called ____?

5. Approximately how much genetic material do Modern humans and Neanderthals share?

6. T/F. The possibility of transplanting a synthetic genome into a recipient cell and proving that DNA was the software of life were major implications that came out of converting M. mycoides species into M. capricolum.

7. What does Venter say his transplantation experiments proved?

[And see late posts]

==

1.  It breaks the chemical bonds that link the nitrogenous bases together. 2. Nuclear Transfer. 

3. Amplify and produce copies of DNA fragments. 4. Endosymbiosis, p.100. 5. (3-4%) p.87.

6.True. 7. That life is an information system-110.

==

ALSO OF NOTE:

Do you agree that life is fundamentally an information system? What ethical or metaphysical implications do you see in that claim?

(DQ) I'd like to continue discussing what sort of problems could be solved by synthetic organisms (some more problems are presented at the end of Chapter 8).

DQ: I would like to discuss vitalism and everyone's opinion on whether this philosophy is weakening with further scientific advances.

Provided is a link discussing everything you'd like to know about DNA:
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/basics/dna

Link: http://www.icr.org/article/neanderthals-are-still-human/
Differences and similarities between modern humans and Neanderthals.

Group 2

We spent the last class listening to group 3's group report on The Life of Pi. Many of the concepts and thoughts they brought up were very interesting and thought provoking. After that we left to head to Spring Break. Hope everyone had a safe and fun break. I guess it is time to get back to work now.

Group 3 (Ch.6,7)

FQ: Eukaryotic cell's engulfment of the microbial mitochondria driven by evolution is called ____?
(Endosymbiosis) p.100

FQ:  How much genetic material do Modern humans and Neanderthals share?
(3-4%) p.87

FQ: T/F. Possibility of transplanting a synthetic genome into a recipient cell and proving that DNA was the software of life were major implications that came out of converting M. mycoides species into M. capricolum.
(True)

DQ: I would like to discuss vitalism and everyone's opinion on whether this philosophy is weakening with further scientific advances.

Link: http://www.icr.org/article/neanderthals-are-still-human/
Differences and similarities between modern humans and Neanderthals.

Venter, Chapter 6 and 7

(FQ) What way does radiation affect DNA structure?
Answer: It breaks the chemical bonds that link the nitrogenous bases together

(FQ) What is the process of transferring the genome of one species into the cell of another called?
Answer: Nuclear Transfer

(FQ) What is polymerase chain reaction used for?
Answer: Amplifying and producing copies of DNA fragments

(DQ) I'd like to continue discussing what sort of problems could be solved by synthetic organisms (some more problems are presented at the end of Chapter 8).

Provided is a link discussing everything you'd like to know about DNA:
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/basics/dna

Sherwin B. Nuland, R.I.P.

Dr. Sherwin B. Nuland, a surgeon and author who drew on more than 35 years in medicine and a childhood buffeted by illness in writing “How We Die,” an award-winning book that sought to dispel the notion of death with dignity and fueled a national conversation about end-of-life decisions, died on Monday at his home in Hamden, Conn. He was 83. The cause was prostate cancer, his daughter Amelia Nuland said. To Dr. Nuland, death was messy and frequently humiliating, and he believed that seeking the good death was pointless and an exercise in self-deception. He maintained that only an uncommon few, through a lucky confluence of circumstances, reached life’s end before the destructiveness of dying eroded their humanity. “I have not seen much dignity in the process by which we die,” he wrote. “The quest to achieve true dignity fails when our bodies fail...

"The dignity we seek in dying must be found in the dignity with which we have lived our lives.”

Sherwin B. Nuland, Author of ‘How We Die,’ Is Dead at 83 - NYTimes.com

Group 3 Presentation

We will be referring back to the lifeboat situation in the first book we read (Bioethics the Basics). We watched Life of Pi which provided another lifeboat situation and will compare the two situations.

Nikita - Provide a summary of the whole movie from the beginning to the end.
            Close the presentation with discussing, "Religion in movies for promotion."
Dustin - Discuss "How does this movie make you believe in God(s)?" and "Aristotle's philosophy."
Elijah - Discuss "Which story would you rather believe in?" and "Can people control their animalistic side?"
Maiki - Explain the lifeboat situation from Bioethics the Basic and review Campbell's opinion. Then, discuss our opinion. Also bring the discussion, "What would you do in either of the lifeboat situations?"

Everybody contributed to the powerpoint slides

A powerful new way to edit DNA

...In the past year or so, researchers have discovered that the bacterial system can be harnessed to make precise changes to the DNA of humans, as well as other animals and plants.

This means a genome can be edited, much as a writer might change words or fix spelling errors. It allows “customizing the genome of any cell or any species at will,” said Charles Gersbach, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Duke University...

Already the molecular system, known as Crispr, is being used to make genetically engineered laboratory animals more easily than could be done before, with changes in multiple genes. Scientists in China recently made monkeys with changes in two genes.

Scientists hope Crispr might also be used for genomic surgery, as it were, to correct errant genes that cause disease. Working in a laboratory — not, as yet, in actual humans — researchers at the Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands showed they could fix a mutation that causes cystic fibrosis.

But even as it is stirring excitement, Crispr is raising profound questions. Like other technologies that once wowed scientists — like gene therapy,stem cells and RNA interference — it will undoubtedly encounter setbacks before it can be used to help patients.

It is already known, for instance, that Crispr can sometimes change genes other than the intended ones. That could lead to unwanted side effects.

The technique is also raising ethical issues. The ease of creating genetically altered monkeys and rodents could lead to more animal experimentation. And the technique of altering genes in their embryos could conceivably work with human embryos as well, raising the specter of so-called designer babies...

A powerful new way to edit DNA

Group 2-Project

We are going to be presenting on the issue of Animal Testing.  We have done a lot of research and found a lot of interesting facts for and against animal testing. We found some times when we feel that animal testing is called for and some instances in which animal testing should not be used.

Our project will break down like this:
Alexus: Introduction
Mitch: Medical Breakthroughs and Animal Testing
Kristen: Inhumane Conditions and the AWA
Cameron: Drawing the Line for Animal Testing
Alyssa: Cruelty Free Testing and Conclusion
All: Questions

A few interesting links:

http://medicinalanimalexperimentationpointlesscrueltyornecessaryevil.weebly.com/pros-and-cons.html

http://animal-testing.procon.org/

http://www.aboutanimaltesting.co.uk/using-animals-testing-pros-versus-cons.html

http://levmm1.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/the-pros-and-cons/​