House moves to ban Human Cloning.

[neoolong]

I was wondering: What is the point really to clone a human being? I can't see one besides creating replacement organs or for exceptional reproduction choices for infertile/incompatible couples.

The thing mentioned in the article concerns stem cell research.

[ArmorPierce]

My godzilla, what ignorant assholes. Hopefully the senate will put a stop to this.

[Admiral Valdemar]

I was wondering: What is the point really to clone a human being? I can't see one besides creating replacement organs or for exceptional reproduction choices for infertile/incompatible couples.

The thing mentioned in the article concerns stem cell research.

Then I truly fear America in general has lost the plot as of now.

[Durandal]

I was wondering: What is the point really to clone a human being? I can't see one besides creating replacement organs or for exceptional reproduction choices for infertile/incompatible couples.

The thing mentioned in the article concerns stem cell research.

Which is disastrously contradictory with existing legislation. Legally, an embryo is not a human being, and women are allowed to destroy it if they choose to. So, why should there be restrictions on harvesting stem cells from embryos that are going to be aborted?

[Peregrin Toker]

My godzilla, what ignorant assholes. Hopefully the senate will put a stop to this.

They can't. They've banned all human cloning. Sometimes it seems like they stand in the way of scientific progress, just for conservatism's sake.

Under the guise of "ethics", these people might be - whether they know it or not - withholding the key to immortality.

Say what YOU want, but in my mind anyone who denounces a technology with as much potential as cloning should consider how much benevolent progress they might be preventing.

[HemlockGrey]

[fundie]
THEY'RE WITCHES! BURN THEM!
[/fundie]

[UltraViolence83]

Under the guise of "ethics", these people might be - whether they know it or not - withholding the key to immortality.

Dear God man, are you a Raelian!? Cloning would only make a twin of you as an embryo that still has to grow. I sure as hell don't want physical immortality, I've got a good 30-50 years in me and that's all I want. I don't buy into that whole "using computers to download your brain" shit either. Even if it works, it's still not you.

Face it. We're all simple mortals. Life's a bitch, then you die. Oh well.

Edit: minor correction.

[HemlockGrey]

I think he meant, you could use new organs to replace old ones before they fail, or something.

[Mr Bean]

Thats what Medical Imortaility refers to, The ability to replace any damage portion of your body save the brain itself

Meaning if we advance Nano-techology enough along with it(Nano bots to watch over and repair brain tissue) we could easily see 200 year old humans to possibly as much as 800-900 Years old

All depends on how well we can clone, and how easily we can replace

[Admiral Valdemar]

Thats what Medical Imortaility refers to, The ability to replace any damage portion of your body save the brain itself

Meaning if we advance Nano-techology enough along with it(Nano bots to watch over and repair brain tissue) we could easily see 200 year old humans to possibly as much as 800-900 Years old

All depends on how well we can clone, and how easily we can replace

Before someone shouts "nanotech wankfest!" or something equally as childish, let me just add that nanobots doing such a task will be very hard and we won't be seeing it anytime soon.

While the idea of nanobots in our body keeping check on us and maybe producing drugs etc. they will not be able to repair individual cells or make whole organs and so on.

Cloned organs would be good because they would have the antigens or chemical IFF that our cells have which means no rejection and no immunosuppressive drugs to allow opportunistic diseases to infect us.

But, really, if you're looking for immortality then look at cancer and the research into telomerase; the wonder enzyme that could rebuild our degrading DNA structure and make our cells live indefinitely or at least a very long time.

For the time being, I would not want a clone organ or body for now due to the problems with the technology. We still haven't perfected the technique because Dolly died from age related disorders that occur in sheep twice her age. This is the genetic differentiation problem; a clone using DNA from a 50 year old donor will have embryonic cells with DNA already depleted from 50 years of replication.

[ArmorPierce]

Actually Dolly was put to sleep.

[Peregrin Toker]

Under the guise of "ethics", these people might be - whether they know it or not - withholding the key to immortality.

Dear God man, are you a Raelian!? Cloning would only make a twin of you as an embryo that still has to grow. I sure as hell don't want physical immortality, I've got a good 30-50 years in me and that's all I want. I don't buy into that whole "using computers to download your brain" shit either. Even if it works, it's still not you..

But... it all sounded so promising!

(Note to self: Never, EVER, submit to wishful thinking during debates about cloning)

However, even though cloning might not be the key to immortality, it would still enable humans to live longer lives due to the general health increase it could bring.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Thats what Medical Imortaility refers to, The ability to replace any damage portion of your body save the brain itself

Meaning if we advance Nano-techology enough along with it(Nano bots to watch over and repair brain tissue) we could easily see 200 year old humans to possibly as much as 800-900 Years old

All depends on how well we can clone, and how easily we can replace

Before someone shouts "nanotech wankfest!" or something equally as childish, let me just add that nanobots doing such a task will be very hard and we won't be seeing it anytime soon.

While the idea of nanobots in our body keeping check on us and maybe producing drugs etc. they will not be able to repair individual cells or make whole organs and so on.

Cloned organs would be good because they would have the antigens or chemical IFF that our cells have which means no rejection and no immunosuppressive drugs to allow opportunistic diseases to infect us.

But, really, if you're looking for immortality then look at cancer and the research into telomerase; the wonder enzyme that could rebuild our degrading DNA structure and make our cells live indefinitely or at least a very long time.

For the time being, I would not want a clone organ or body for now due to the problems with the technology. We still haven't perfected the technique because Dolly died from age related disorders that occur in sheep twice her age. This is the genetic differentiation problem; a clone using DNA from a 50 year old donor will have embryonic cells with DNA already depleted from 50 years of replication.

Yeah, trying to figure out how to regenerate the telomeres in our cells without turning them into invasive cancers would do more work towards making huge boosts in human lifespan than straight cloning would. And while I say that developing cloning for reproductive assistance is the height of stupidity (come on, humans are too fertile as it is,) developing cloning for the purpose of creating replacement parts isn't. Incidentally, I recently read in New Scientist that we're developing the capability of 3D printing with living cells. It involves a special gel with cells held in suspension stored in what are essentially ordinary printer catrtidges.

So in the future, ideally one could take a person's cells, make them stem cells, print these into the shape of say, a liver. And then through some careful chemical gimmicking, we get the cells to assume the correct functions. And, to ensure we get the maximum use out of those organs, we regenerate the telomeres inside their cells, so they end up with more reproductions remaining. (Ordinarily, the telomeres inside a cell get mangled and trimmed with each replication of the cell. When they're gone, the cell stops dividing.)

[Admiral Valdemar]

Thats what Medical Imortaility refers to, The ability to replace any damage portion of your body save the brain itself

Meaning if we advance Nano-techology enough along with it(Nano bots to watch over and repair brain tissue) we could easily see 200 year old humans to possibly as much as 800-900 Years old

All depends on how well we can clone, and how easily we can replace

Before someone shouts "nanotech wankfest!" or something equally as childish, let me just add that nanobots doing such a task will be very hard and we won't be seeing it anytime soon.

While the idea of nanobots in our body keeping check on us and maybe producing drugs etc. they will not be able to repair individual cells or make whole organs and so on.

Cloned organs would be good because they would have the antigens or chemical IFF that our cells have which means no rejection and no immunosuppressive drugs to allow opportunistic diseases to infect us.

But, really, if you're looking for immortality then look at cancer and the research into telomerase; the wonder enzyme that could rebuild our degrading DNA structure and make our cells live indefinitely or at least a very long time.

For the time being, I would not want a clone organ or body for now due to the problems with the technology. We still haven't perfected the technique because Dolly died from age related disorders that occur in sheep twice her age. This is the genetic differentiation problem; a clone using DNA from a 50 year old donor will have embryonic cells with DNA already depleted from 50 years of replication.

Yeah, trying to figure out how to regenerate the telomeres in our cells without turning them into invasive cancers would do more work towards making huge boosts in human lifespan than straight cloning would. And while I say that developing cloning for reproductive assistance is the height of stupidity (come on, humans are too fertile as it is,) developing cloning for the purpose of creating replacement parts isn't. Incidentally, I recently read in New Scientist that we're developing the capability of 3D printing with living cells. It involves a special gel with cells held in suspension stored in what are essentially ordinary printer catrtidges.

So in the future, ideally one could take a person's cells, make them stem cells, print these into the shape of say, a liver. And then through some careful chemical gimmicking, we get the cells to assume the correct functions. And, to ensure we get the maximum use out of those organs, we regenerate the telomeres inside their cells, so they end up with more reproductions remaining. (Ordinarily, the telomeres inside a cell get mangled and trimmed with each replication of the cell. When they're gone, the cell stops dividing.)

I got that issue too, amazing what they can do with old ink printers.

But, another reason against the cloning method for immortality is that you'd need an op everytime something went defunct and you skin would still age as would your brain.

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

I'm sure Congressmen had a dilemma the night before.


"Let's see: I can either vote to save thousands of lives, or I can plase my imaginary man in the sky while those thousands suffer. Hmm...."

Maybe it wasnt' religion, perhaps the thought of another Barbara Streisand caseud them to vote to ban human cloning.

[Peregrin Toker]

I'm sure Congressmen had a dilemma the night before.


"Let's see: I can either vote to save thousands of lives, or I can plase my imaginary man in the sky while those thousands suffer. Hmm...."

That's it!!

LAMA SU FOR PRESIDENT!!!

[Admiral Valdemar]

I'm sure Congressmen had a dilemma the night before.


"Let's see: I can either vote to save thousands of lives, or I can plase my imaginary man in the sky while those thousands suffer. Hmm...."

That's it!!

LAMA SU FOR PRESIDENT!!!

*SNIP Image*

Y'see, that's the result you get when you grab a biology textbook, stamp on it, set it on fire and put it through a shredder.

Ugh, despicable creature.

[Peregrin Toker]

I'm sure Congressmen had a dilemma the night before.


"Let's see: I can either vote to save thousands of lives, or I can plase my imaginary man in the sky while those thousands suffer. Hmm...."

That's it!!

LAMA SU FOR PRESIDENT!!!

*SNIP Image*

Y'see, that's the result you get when you grab a biology textbook, stamp on it, set it on fire and put it through a shredder.

Ugh, despicable creature.

At least he's the last person to ban cloning.

[Admiral Valdemar]

That's it!!

LAMA SU FOR PRESIDENT!!!

*SNIP Image*

Y'see, that's the result you get when you grab a biology textbook, stamp on it, set it on fire and put it through a shredder.

Ugh, despicable creature.

At least he's the last person to ban cloning.

True (he?), but he's also the last person to exist with a physique resembling that of an albino stick insect exploded to giraffe size.

[neoolong]

I take it this means the US won't be getting an army of clone troopers.

Or my personal horde of cloned female models.

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

I take it this means the US won't be getting an army of clone troopers.

Or my personal horde of cloned female models.

Well, when you look at all the platinum blondes that pose with Hugh Hefner nowadays, you might wonder if they already are cloning models. Same thing with all of those boy bands and rappers.

[Gil Hamilton]

The problem is that people seem to be in love with the ole Slippery Slope logical fallacy. Alot of these people honestly believe that cloning will lead to 12 foot tall Ubermensche with four arms and shoot lightning from their asses that will, of course, enslave us all. In reality, there is little practical reasons for the sort of nightmares that they seem to think is inevitable. I can't tell you how many people I've talked to about this who's whole argument is "But... but... but... Gattaca!" of some crap like that. What needs to be understood is that technologies and science always ends up boiling down to practical applications and things are made for specific purposes.

It's a real shame that the United States cannot recognize that biotechnology and cloning techniques is the future, and that we will be left behind in this race while others prosper because of it. Then again, the sort of people want to strike this down probably think the same thing about robotics and nuclear power... hopefully some sense will prevail.

[Peregrin Toker]

Y'see, that's the result you get when you grab a biology textbook, stamp on it, set it on fire and put it through a shredder.

Ugh, despicable creature.

At least he's the last person to ban cloning.

True (he?), but he's also the last person to exist with a physique resembling that of an albino stick insect exploded to giraffe size.

That's the most accurate description of a Kaminoan I've seen yet.