Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: PiMac who wrote (33458)	3/29/1999 7:38:00 AM
From: Chuzzlewit	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 108807

I am not sure that I entirely agree with you when you said we are better off as a species when we allow the time honored ways of reproduction to work at the optimum [when All are happy and healthy and fertile] then to selectively introduce our own limited understanding into the complex action. There are any number of horrid genetic diseases out there. Debilitating and often lethal monstrosities like diabetes, hemophilia, Tay-Sachs syndrome, sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis -- the list goes on and on. Gene therapy holds the potential of eliminating these blights. Shouldn't we relieve the afflicted of their suffering if we are able? I think we agree that tinkering with the evolutionary machine is dangerous. The key driver in evolution is adaptation through genetic mutation and recombination. Most mutations have either negative or no survival value under current conditions, and persist in the population as part of the "genetic load". But that load, under the right circumstances, can spell the difference between life and death. For example, carriers of the sickle cell trait have a much greater chance of surviving severe malarial infections than "normal" individuals. The cost is the appearance of the deadly sickle cell anemia. So taking a hands off attitude can never result in the utopian outcome of all offspring being "happy, healthy and fertile" without the very genetic tinkering you wish to avoid. There is also the danger of presuming that we know the myriad consequences of our actions. If we raised a race of Einsteins who will be the garbageman or the postman? TTFN, CTC