Scientists create animals that are part-human

Lando · Post by **Lando** » 5/5/2005, 8:40 pm

Everything worth trying for is a risk or dangerous or difficult to do. The human species has learnt the majority of it's knowledge through trial and error. I have no opinion to share on this matter about whether or not it's morally or ethically correct or anything like that, but no matter how dire the consequences a giant leap into the unknown is. It's almost always a step in the right direction, if not to succeed, to at least pose more questions or spark new ideas in totally different directions.

Corey · Post by **Corey** » 5/5/2005, 9:17 pm

On a side note... did this research inspire the recent skittles commercials or is that mere coincidence...???

evanw60 · Post by **evanw60** » 5/5/2005, 11:10 pm

Axtech wrote:
Cass wrote:
We don't know, and there's no way of knowing, yet we're still experimenting with it.

How can you learn without experimenting?

Like I said before, my beef is with the possibility of screwing around with human consciousness without knowing the consequences. And these experiments won't tell us anything about human consciousness, so we won't learn anything about that danger through these experiments.

I don't really think this way of thinking makes much sense. I mean, no doubt screwing around with the human consciousness would be a bad thing, but... if experiments won't tell us anything about it, as you say, then what will? Will the information just fall in our laps? Doubtful.

People don't discover things already knowing all the consequences and side-effects. It doesn't work that way. You really seem all backwards to me.

But I always knew that the pig man from Seinfeld was real.

Henrietta · Post by **Henrietta** » 5/5/2005, 11:37 pm

Well, I think of human consciousness as a soul. It's not connected with any one bod part.

Anyhow, we can't know never to do it again if we don't what it is in the first place. Which means, we have to try and possibly fail a few times.

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » 5/6/2005, 6:12 pm

I don't really see the problem with it. I mean even if an animal did start to exhibit "human like qualities". What is everyone afriad of? Creating another intelligent form of life? Thinking that the animal would be feel trapped in it's body and lacking everything a human has? I mean it's not like it's going to know what it's like to be human, it can't miss anything it never had. Also I doubt a pack of rats with human intelligence would pose a serious threat to the human race. I really hope I posted this in the right place and didn't get horribly confused with another similar topic.

Dr. Hobo · Post by **Dr. Hobo** » 5/7/2005, 6:59 am

did they define "human like qualities" in that article?
i cant remember

Kaegan · Post by **Kaegan** » 5/7/2005, 7:17 am

Mooooooooo

nikki4982 · Post by **nikki4982** » 7/12/2005, 2:08 am

And it gets worse.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15 ... ,00.html#1

afealicious · Post by **afealicious** » 7/12/2005, 11:50 am

uggh, well they didn't have to have that picture there. :freak:

Dabekk · Post by **Dabekk** » 7/12/2005, 12:59 pm

That is so cool.

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 7/12/2005, 2:58 pm

evanw60 wrote:
Axtech wrote:
Cass wrote:
We don't know, and there's no way of knowing, yet we're still experimenting with it.

How can you learn without experimenting?

Like I said before, my beef is with the possibility of screwing around with human consciousness without knowing the consequences. And these experiments won't tell us anything about human consciousness, so we won't learn anything about that danger through these experiments.

I don't really think this way of thinking makes much sense. I mean, no doubt screwing around with the human consciousness would be a bad thing, but... if experiments won't tell us anything about it, as you say, then what will? Will the information just fall in our laps? Doubtful.

People don't discover things already knowing all the consequences and side-effects. It doesn't work that way. You really seem all backwards to me.

But I always knew that the pig man from Seinfeld was real.

Okay, but my point is that these experiments cannot discover the mystery of human consciousness. Period. If it was an experiment that would lead towards such discoveries, I would agree whole heartedly. But this is just messing around with things we don't understand - big things. I'd call it "playing God", but I'm not coming from a religious perspective. It's completely unethical to do something like this. And without an ethical basis, the whole field of study is just a bunch of mad scientists testing whatever comes to mind.

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » 7/12/2005, 6:27 pm

Holy crap, planet of the apes.

reza · Post by **reza** » 7/12/2005, 6:30 pm

I think that if it helps save lives, it's worth doing. We live in a secular society, we cannot halt progress because we're afraid of what may not even be out there.

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 7/12/2005, 6:35 pm

What about the lives that are created? Is a human mind in a different body less human?

nikki4982 · Post by **nikki4982** » 7/12/2005, 11:00 pm

*fights urges to go into animal rights speech*... *flees thread before rant begins pouring out of fingers*

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » 7/12/2005, 11:08 pm

People are animals too nikki.

nikki4982 · Post by **nikki4982** » 7/13/2005, 12:07 am

When did I imply they aren't? :freak:

Corey · Post by **Corey** » 7/13/2005, 10:59 am

afealicious wrote:uggh, well they didn't have to have that picture there.

No joke. I'm really starting to question this www.news.com.au website's credibility. The last few articles I've read from there have paired the article with some totally unrelated picture to force false imagery on the reader. It is yellow journalism all the way.

afealicious · Post by **afealicious** » 7/13/2005, 11:02 am

Axtech wrote:What about the lives that are created? Is a human mind in a different body less human?

no more of that, mr kurzweil! my poor brain cells :no:

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 7/13/2005, 11:13 am

And what about the monkman's brain cells? Or the humape's?