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Designer Babies

PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 6:33 pm
by pcslim
Three-parent babies could cure diseases :prof:
In this technique defective mitochondria in one egg cell is replaced with normal mitochondria from an egg cell from another woman. It's not quite exactly a genetic manipulation, but the substitute mitochondria is passed on from generation to generation. Some people worry about this paving the way for what is sometimes called designer babies where people manipulate the DNA in an embryo in order to produce desired traits in their offspring. As the guy in the video says, it's not fair to hold hostage those who will benefit from mitochondrial transfers to fears about a possible future where people routinely pick and choose the traits of their children. Quite frankly I'm not convinced that genetic manipulation is necessarily a bad thing.

Re: Designer Babies

PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 7:48 am
by wildrose
pcslim: As long as the state doesn't control what traits parents can select for their offspring, I don't see any problem with the whole concept of designer babies. As for this mitochondrial transfer thing, it's a totally different concept. Sure the mitochondria has its own set of DNA, but it's separate from the DNA in the nucleus of the cell.

Re: Designer Babies

PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 8:03 am
by mrfish
This whole designer baby thing could develop into an art form and people could have contests to see who could design the best baby with there being several categories such as best looking, most intellient, tallest, thinest, largest breasts as adult, etc. Obviously it would take a while to see the results, but it would all be in the name of science and so it would be for a good cause! LOL

Re: Designer Babies

PostPosted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 8:07 am
by CoolChick
mrfish, I do hope you're joking. And even if you are, it's not funny. This whole designer baby thing is like playing god. I have no issue with screening for birth defects, but picking traits by switching things around in the genes is just wrong. People need to behave in an ethical manner and scientists can't just do anything they want just because they have the technology! There are limits!

Re: Designer Babies

PostPosted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 7:02 am
by pcslim
Should We Make Designer Babies?
Fascinating technology and the potential is tremendous, but there are uncertainties when it comes to germline modifications. BTW, here's a little info on CRISPR:
CRISPRs (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) are segments of prokaryotic DNA containing short repetitions of base sequences. Each repetition is followed by short segments of "spacer DNA" from previous exposures to a bacterial virus or plasmid. It is pronounced "crisper".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRISPR



Re: Designer Babies

PostPosted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 3:52 pm
by CoolChick
The Science Behind 'Genetically Modified Humans'
Despite what I said about playing god, I'm not entirely against this kind of thing. If it helps people to live happier and healthier lives, then I'm all for it. But when it's used to create more attractive humans, then I think the technology is being misused.

Re: Designer Babies

PostPosted: Sun May 15, 2016 6:28 am
by pcslim
Why Can't We Experiment On Human Embryonic Stem Cells?
Arbitrary limits retard scientific progress and we don't really need theologians and ethicists to tell us what to do. While our scientists are held back by outdated dogma, scientists in other countries are allowed to move forward unimpeded by superstition.
BEST YOUTUBE COMMENT:
Religion: Stifling the progress of humanity since 2494 BCE


Re: Designer Babies

PostPosted: Mon May 16, 2016 7:26 am
by ergot
pcslim: If scientists were allowed to work on gestation-related experiments and stem cells without ethical guidelines being imposed by backwards organizations, a lot of issues would be solved by now. For instance, abortion would be totally unnecessary since it would be possible to terminate a pregnancy at any point and keep the fetus alive in an artificial womb. That would also make having kids a lot more convenient for women who need to work.

Re: Designer Babies

PostPosted: Wed Sep 07, 2016 7:27 pm
by a2z
Genetically Modified Humans? CRISPR/Cas 9 Explained
Genetic modification of embryos approved by the government? That's totally unexpected, but very good news! How long before designer babies becomes an option available to parents?

Re: Designer Babies

PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2017 10:30 am
by shadylady
Eggs from Skin Cells? Here’s Why the Next Fertility Technology Will Open Pandora’s Box
The implications of in vitro gametogenesis (a technique which allows any type of cell to be reprogrammed into a sperm or egg) are awesome. Although there are some potential bad uses, the good uses of this technology far outweigh the bad. That's true to any new technology, of course, and should never be used as an excuse to hold back progress.
Combined with rapidly advancing gene-editing techniques like CRISPR, in vitro gametogenesis could also conceivably allow scientists to edit out some inherited diseases or install new traits. These technologies could allow you to get “closer to your vision of perfection” in children, says Cohen.

LINK:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603343/eggs-from-skin-cells-heres-why-the-next-fertility-technology-will-open-pandoras-box/