Is the human race on its way to oblivion?

[jojo]

There was something on the news tonight, about some clever clog scientist having "invented" some genetically modified chicken that can produce human proteins and this being ever so good for producing new wonder drugs. Are we so far gone off the natural evolutionary course that we are way into a blind alley from where we can't possibly come out

 

[chrisanson]

I really do think that in a few years time that because everything getting so sterile that some one somewhere in the world will sneeze and the entire world population will drop down dead instantly due to no one having any immune left!
Chris

 

[Tengu]

This is nonsense, we are far too adaptable an animal for that.

barring something ridiculous like a large cometary strike...

 

[Rebel]

Our ingenuity is both our salvation and destruction. I think that at the moment science has put our existence in a perilous position, we might get smart and figure out that genetic tinkering is taking us down the wrong road but I doubt it.

I'm sure we'll survive as a species but I personally believe there'll be a high price to pay for how we're meddling with nature.

I know this article is from the Daily Mail but it seems to be true and is yet another indication of how we can't just leave things alone.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=427714&in_page_id=1770

 

[Knife-man]

This is nonsense, we are far too adaptable an animal for that.

barring something ridiculous like a large cometary strike...

An interesting point is that Human being Adapt through behavior at a truly astounding rate Nowadays rather than the more traditional physical adaptation It is argued by some Scientists that because the entire world has become one enormous community with the internet and technology breaking down physical and language barriers between nations that we are no longer able to Adapt.

Odd As it seems it is logical

When The human world was Split into smaller less communicative communities adaption took place in individual communities which mean that If a Behavior arose that was detrimental then Only one community would suffer while another who chose a different way of coping would thrive.

With the world being one huge Blob of a community If a Behavior arose that was detrimental the entire world would suffer (or near enough the entire world)

Its a interesting theory to say the least

 

[John Fenna]

We are all doomed, doomed I tell you!
Unable to adapt, so sterile germs could kill us at any time, poisons in our food giving us cancer, hormones in our water making males sterile, lack of discipline leading to hords of thugs roaming the streets, the universe about to contract, the world warming up to the point that plants and animals die out as their environment collapses, our air becoming a de-oxygenatated mix of poisons: WE ARE ALL DOOMED! AND THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT!!!
at least not enough to make a real difference in my lifetime......
S*D IT THEN - Im off to the woods to enjoy the time I have left!

 

[Jodie]

There was something on the news tonight, about some clever clog scientist having "invented" some genetically modified chicken that can produce human proteins and this being ever so good for producing new wonder drugs. Are we so far gone off the natural evolutionary course that we are way into a blind alley from where we can't possibly come out

Human insulin is already made by yeast and bacteria. Have a look at this
analogy between genetics and software by Richard Dawkins:
http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/in...t=1&control=173&page_start=1&page_nr=101&pg=1

Also, if you google "richard dawkins" subroutine you'll find dissenting
views of course.

 

[sam_acw]

The human race is just going to get progressively more stupid.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Lets have a “Not Too Heavy Thread” forum please!

Cheers

 

[Tengu]

John is very prudent.

Lets not worry about the sky falling on our heads.

(or join Spaceguard and do something about it)

 

[Big John]

Are we so far gone off the natural evolutionary course that we are way into a blind alley from where we can't possibly come out

I reckon so, but then who's to say what the natural evolutionary course is? I think by definition we are bang on it aren't we?

The question is, what's going to get us first - nuclear bomb, biological terorist, global warming, bird flu, ASBO teenager or double decker bus?

As Tengu said, best not to worry about I reckon, apart from global warming where we can all do our bit, there's not much impact we can have (sticks head firmly in sand/woods).

 

[TheGreenMan]

We are very much on the ‘natural’ evolutionary course, Jojo. There is only one evolutionary course and we are definitely on it, yes siree!

That of course is not to say that we are not doomed We most definitely are, sooner or later. If we mange to dodge all the sooner stuff, then there’s the molten iron core of the Earth cooling, resulting in the disappearance of the magnetosphere, resulting in every organic form of life on earth being killed off with massive amounts of radiation from Sol (our sun), assuming of course that the Earth’s core cools before Sol starts to run out of fuel and the photosynthesis cycle stops (if you’ve ever been under the penumbra/umbra of a solar eclipse you’ll have some idea of what this would be like), and then just to top things off nicely, what’s left of Earth will be 'atomised' when Sol explodes as a supernova..

The human race has no ‘right’ to exist, the end will come.

And I wouldn’t worry about genetics in medicine; it’ll probably be a good thing. One can rarely say a good thing about chronic disease etc. I understand that 50% of human DNA is identical to the DNA of a banana (this could explain a lot ), so the DNA from a chicken is practically like DNA from one’s own family

In the meantime, eat, drink, and be merry…

Hope this helps.

Best regards,
Paul.

PS: There is much to be concerned about Jojo, but it’s comforting to know that one can’t do a damned thing about it!

 

[BorderReiver]

DON'T PANIC.

Just a cheap way of mass producing drugs.The hens won't feel any different and they won't end up in the food chain anyway.

I don't like the way we're heading but it doesn't frighten me.

 

[jojo]

I should have a put a few more smillies in the start of that thread I did not mean it to be too heavy... I remember quite a few years ago, a poor bloke asleep in his bed in Belgium I think it was, was killed when a pilotless Russian plane crashed on his house!! you never know when your time's up Indeed there are all sorts of things that can get us and probably will soon.. :BlueTeamE Must remember not to stay in bed too long

 

[Don Redondo]

Actually, from the perspective of the Earth [gaia theory and all that] the idea of humankind becoming extinct can be nothing but good news.

as a species we have'nt been here long, but we've managed to f*** things up good and proper.

so I say 'Good'

 

[jojo]

Despite what I said about smillies, it is only too true that the human species' biggest achievements are the ability to kill each other in vast number, with great gusto and greater efficiency and massacring other species of this world in ever greater number. Not something you really want on your CV. is it .

I don't think science, despite being the "nouveau" religion that most people seem to worship (blind faith?) will make any difference in the end.

 

[CLEM]

We are all doomed, doomed I tell you!
Unable to adapt, so sterile germs could kill us at any time, poisons in our food giving us cancer, hormones in our water making males sterile, lack of discipline leading to hords of thugs roaming the streets, the universe about to contract, the world warming up to the point that plants and animals die out as their environment collapses, our air becoming a de-oxygenatated mix of poisons: WE ARE ALL DOOMED! AND THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT!!!
at least not enough to make a real difference in my lifetime......
S*D IT THEN - Im off to the woods to enjoy the time I have left!

That sums it up for me John!

 

[dommyracer]

Apathy and an "I'm alright" mentality is what will do for some of the human race.

Those that still realise the importance of cooperation and tolerance will continue to survive, as they have done since the Stone Age.

 

[Dougster]

Actually, from the perspective of the Earth [gaia theory and all that] the idea of humankind becoming extinct can be nothing but good news.

as a species we have'nt been here long, but we've managed to f*** things up good and proper.

so I say 'Good'

There was that funny story somewhere about a boat, where the best of each went to avoid a flood. I think that is based on something. However, nowadays, I fear, replace 'god fearing' with 'wealthy'.

I would agree with this gaian theory sentiment; seeing teenagers en masse each day. But I have children of my own I try to raise to be above this. The 'global warming thing' I can cope with as it allows me to see some sort of future for my children, the 'wiped out by a meteor' one is slightly more disturbing for me. I do have trouble finding any evidence of it Tengu.

 

[TheGreenMan]

...the 'wiped out by a meteor' one is slightly more disturbing for me. I do have trouble finding any evidence of it Tengu.

If you look at the Moon you can see plenty of evidence for massive impacts. It's probably safe to extrapolate from that evidence that the Earth has been struck by equally significant impacts, any one of which would most likely disrupt the ecosystems on Earth to an extent that it could reshape the types of organic life that could make a living after the impact.

The size of the impact craters are often easily discerned when inspecting the crater shadows on the terminator. They are huge.

There is no reason to be confident that such catastrophic impacts won't occur at some future time, on either the Moon or Earth.

Best regards,
Paul.