What genetic modifications would you like for your child?

Originally posted by MarkLuitzen
I want a my child to be geneticly scanned and if he / she is homsexoaul I want my child to be geneteicly altered to become heterosexual.

Thats quite a bold thing to do, I don't really think that sort of thing is genitic (could be wrong) what if the child finds out later on in life? could cause him / her to reasses every thing they thought they were, ironically you could encourage what you were trying to aviod!

I would ask for whatever genetic modifications GOD gave my child in the womb and in his infinte wisdom. I know man likes to make things better than GOD like corn and rice and pretty much everything. I often wonder what kind of egomaniac looks at one of GOD's creations like Corn and says "I can make corn better than GOD did" and then starts splicing spider DNA into the corn. Doeshe want corn that can spin a web or catch flys?

DON'T PLAY GOD, HE DOESN'T LIKE IT WHEN YOU DO!!!

Originally posted by theindependentjournal
I would ask for whatever genetic modifications GOD gave my child in the womb and in his infinte wisdom.

Do you even think changing genetics just to decrease the chances for certain physical diseases is going against God? And if so.... how do you justify taking medication for illnesses or for pain?

I often wonder what kind of egomaniac looks at one of GOD's creations like Corn and says "I can make corn better than GOD did" and then starts splicing spider DNA into the corn. Doeshe want corn that can spin a web or catch flys?

That would be awesome

DON'T PLAY GOD, HE DOESN'T LIKE IT WHEN YOU DO!!!

Can you link your sources?

And use the bold or italic tag for emphasis, ALL CAPS is against the rules fyi.

The corn God made

Originally posted by theindependentjournal
I often wonder what kind of egomaniac looks at one of GOD's creations like Corn and says "I can make corn better than GOD did".

What kind of egomaniac? A Mexican farmer who died some 4,400 years ago. Or to be precise, several generations of Mexican farmers. Generations of egomaniacs.

These are ears of teosinte.




Teosinte is the ancestor of all modern maize, which you Americans call corn. It is the corn God made. In fact, the very name teocintl means 'grain of the gods'.

But the corn God made is not very good to eat. Its seeds are edible but few in number and not very tasty. They are sheathed in a shell-like coating hard enough to break your teeth. As food for egomaniacs, teosinte leaves a lot to be desired.

It certainly didn't satisfy those Mesoamerican egomaniac farmers, so they started modifying teosinte genetically. They didn't need labs for this; they did it the old-fashioned way, by domestication and selective breeding -- the way people genetically modify wolves to get chihuahuas.

In a surprisingly short time, the farmers' GM programme resulted in something like this:



The ear on the left is teosinte. The ear on the right is a modern imitation of the earliest archaeological corn, which was recovered from the Tehuacán valley in Mexico. It was created by crossing teosinte with modern corn.

Those Mexican farmers did pretty well, as you can see. In fact, modern scientists are quite astonished by how much they managed to modify teosinte, ending up with something so well adapted to human tastes it looks like a completely different plant.

But people are never satisfied for long. Over the course of the next 4,400 years, corn was further refined through selective breeding (genetic modification), with this kind of result:



Which, I am sure you'll agree, is a long, long way from the corn God made.

A teosinte ear is only 2 to 3 inches long with five to 12 kernels—compare that to corn's 12-inch ear that boasts 500 or more kernels! Teosinte kernels are also encased in a hard coating, allowing them to survive the digestive tracts of birds and grazing mammals for better dispersal in the wild. But, for humans, the tooth-cracking coating was undesirable so it was selectively reduced…and reduced…and reduced…until all that remains is the annoying bit of paper-thin, translucent tissue that... sticks between the teeth when one munches corn on the cob.

Now, dear theindependentjournal, I have a question for you. What kind of egomaniac would get all jealous and tetchy when someone tries to remedy evident defects in his work?

So are you saying that you dont like corn the way it is now with 500 kernels soft and juicy? compared to how it was originally with the 12 kernels of hard shell?

Or that it's gotten how it is now and thats fine through natural genetic breeding via generation then generation , etc, like the mexicans did. But if we use scientific methods such as genetic engineering to try to better the corn a different way, a scientific way, it's un-natural and we are a bunch of jackasses for trying?

Laser eyes maybe.......

And the retractable claws were a cool idea too.

However, on a serious note, if I found that my child was going to have a serious disability like spina bifida or polymelia or something, I would try to have something done about it in-utero if possible. Why would I allow my child to go through life suffering if they could live pain free and happily? However, I agree it's a slippery slope. I wouldn't change my child's sex or sexual preference, but I would try to make sure they are as physically and mentally fit as any normal child. If they are healthy, then there's not a thing to be touched.

my heart goes out to your family Byrd. But on a lighter note, haha I don't know why but I always assume the guy on avatar IS you, but I guess I was wrong. But anyways best luck to your family.

Anyways, we can already see in the dark, haven't you guys notice that if were in a dark room and close our eyes for around 3-5 minutes, we can see in the dark? After a couple of more minutes, our eyes would adjust pretty well. But its required that we have some small source of light.

I really don't want to genetically modify my kids, if they want gills, they'll work for their freaking gills, or to be strong, they'll work for it, no kid of mine will be a test tube baby. Why? Because I saw the movie "Gattaca," and it raises the same question, in the end, it doesn't matter how genetically far superior you are, with a little determination and a big heart you can achieve anything.

heres a wikilink about the movie: en.wikipedia.org...

edit: Awesome post btw Astyanax

[edit on 3-7-2007 by skyblueff0]

I have two responses to the recent posts on my post...

1. They did NOT mix spider dna into old maize to make modern corn, they CROSS BRED existing plants, this DOES NOT equal genetic modification.

2. That corn of way back then had no nutritional value and humans couldn't digest it, could someone tell me what nutritional value corn has today or if it is digestible yet?

Hint: CORN IN POOP...

Originally posted by theindependentjournal
I have two responses to the recent posts on my post...

1. They did NOT mix spider dna into old maize to make modern corn, they CROSS BRED existing plants, this DOES NOT equal genetic modification.

2. That corn of way back then had no nutritional value and humans couldn't digest it, could someone tell me what nutritional value corn has today or if it is digestible yet?

Hint: CORN IN POOP...

Haha, maybe someone hasn't been chewing their food properly!!

Haha and yes corn has nutritional value: www.whfoods.org...

Hot, fresh corn-on-the-cob is an almost essential part of any summertime party. Fortunately, it is also worthy part of any healthful menu. Our food ranking system qualified corn as a good source of many nutrients including thiamin (vitamin B1), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), folate, dietary fiber, vitamin C, phosphorous and manganese.

An important food plant that is native to America, corn is thought to have originated in either Mexico or Central America. It has been a staple food in native civilizations since primitive times with some of the earliest traces of meal made from corn dating back about 7,000 years.

Originally posted by theindependentjournal
I have two responses to the recent posts on my post...

...but neither of them answers the question I asked you.

And after I went to so much trouble to answer yours properly, too. I think that's just mean.

Originally posted by theindependentjournal
I have two responses to the recent posts on my post...

1. They did NOT mix spider dna into old maize to make modern corn, they CROSS BRED existing plants, this DOES NOT equal genetic modification.

2. That corn of way back then had no nutritional value and humans couldn't digest it, could someone tell me what nutritional value corn has today or if it is digestible yet?

Hint: CORN IN POOP...

Not too sure where I stand on this issue, we have been messing ever since we've been farming. I like corn, bananas, cows, pet cats/dogs and a load of other stuff the way i'm used to em.

World: Bananas are a Dying Breed
Thanks to selective breeding, our favorite fruit can neither reproduce nor defend itself from disease
Why? Because the banana is the victim of centuries of genetic tampering. Scientists say they will be unable to prevent the extirpation of the banana as an edible commercial crop. And its demise may be one more powerful argument in the hands of those who are concerned about genetic modification of foods.

link

But if no one played with genetics (intentally or otherwise) we would still be swinging from trees, or have gills or something.

I like bananas the way I get them now.

This is far from being an original idea, but what about glands that secrete various (therapeutic or recreational) drugs?

Of course, you'd need detox glands as well. But why not?

Can't think of a more efficient way of controlling the masses. Simply apply the corect stimlus at the right time (something in food water or medication say) and the entire population feels exactly the way you want them too.

PM: "Arraggh the French are attacking!!"

Minister: "Calm down PM, simply send the make em angry and hate the French chem out"

PM: "is that the red one or the blue one"

Minister: "neither its the purple one - err, I think you just mix the red and blue one"

How much of this is possible?

Okay, we've got a good lot of ideas in here, from Byrd's wish to eliminate certain heritable diseases (which sounds quite feasible to me) to people being able to fly or breathe water, (which probably aren't).

Is anyone here qualified to say what might one day be possible, and what isn't? And speculate how soon we may get these goodies? Maybe even have a crack at a future timeline?

Hell, forget being qualified, have a shot anyway.