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September 29, 2005
mighty mice
The article about the mice with the ability to regenerate organs was thought provoking. Apparently this ability has been attributed to some combination of three known genes. Isolating the specifics of this process is just a matter of time. It appears to be a dominant gene which is passed to offspring. Now -- the question is how far should scientists pursue this. The ability to regenerate a lost limb or organ seems valuable. Say in the case of an auto accident, but eternal life is just a half step down the inventive path. It wouldn't take too long before even more people would be starving to death due to the horrendus overcrowding. Also, I'm wondering would it be possible to have let's say a modern day Hitler, Ghengis Khan, and every other "Bad guy" you can think of alive forever -- would it be a catastrophe? would it even matter? if there were wars, pestilence, famine and plague -- no matter what terrible things occured, no one would die because humans could simply regenerate the missing or afflicted organ. There wouldn't be room to stand; humans would neccesarily resort to cannibalism because there would be no other life. Is the future of mankind to be like a fungus that feeds upon itself. There must be religious considerations too. You must die to go to heaven; you cannot die because you have the ability to regenerate; if you do not use that ability --assuming that it is a voluntary function -- will that be considered suicide -- a sure ticket to eternal damnation? I don't know. hopefully I'll die (no time soon mind you) before this ability is bred into mankind.
Posted by Joseph Lampiasi at September 29, 2005 9:34 AM
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