tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post1095714490320323532..comments2024-03-29T00:39:31.629-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: The Roots…and Future... of HumanityDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-85885800935064831402014-02-15T12:43:43.028-08:002014-02-15T12:43:43.028-08:00onwardonwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-32777967761050609792014-02-14T17:50:25.251-08:002014-02-14T17:50:25.251-08:00When they start messing with telomere lengths and ...When they start messing with telomere lengths and telomerase activation, it should get interesting. We might get to find out how long we can live or just how touchy the balance is between long life and cancer production. 8)<br /><br />I suspect we are going to have a hard time using animal models for some of this knowledge and may have to look directly at ourselves to figure it out.Alfred Differnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-86662077698259598532014-02-14T17:21:44.252-08:002014-02-14T17:21:44.252-08:00Clearly a different "anonymous". Thanks...Clearly a different "anonymous". Thanks.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-75184249698717522212014-02-14T15:57:50.814-08:002014-02-14T15:57:50.814-08:00The genetically modified babies were born in 2000(...The genetically modified babies were born in 2000(?). After it was announced in 2001, the FDA banned Cytoplasmic transfer. Other techniques of repairing mitochondrial disorders are still being investigated, such as spindle transfer and pronuclear transfer, but human embryos have to be destroyed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-21100834345971327422014-02-14T14:36:43.944-08:002014-02-14T14:36:43.944-08:00Just FB'd about the Martian. I look fwd to se...Just FB'd about the Martian. I look fwd to seeing it.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-85580300353013265442014-02-14T10:52:01.112-08:002014-02-14T10:52:01.112-08:00Dr. Brin, have you heard anything about "The ...Dr. Brin, have you heard anything about "The Martian", by Andy Weir? It came highly recommended by a reviewer I respect, but it is allegedly very hard Sci Fi, so I thought I'd ask your opinion. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Martian-Novel-Andy-Weir-ebook/dp/B00EMXBDMA" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Martian-Novel-Andy-Weir-ebook/dp/B00EMXBDMA</a>sociotardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697154298087412934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-48542148601980098902014-02-14T10:25:54.913-08:002014-02-14T10:25:54.913-08:00Climate skeptics have already wormed their way pas...Climate skeptics have already wormed their way past terminology updates.<br /><br />Paraphrasing: "They used to call it global warming, and now since there is global cooling since 2008 they're calling it global climate change!"<br /><br />Followed by some canard about greedy climate scientists faking evidence to roll in the lucrative academic grant money.<br /><br />Once you've left the reality based community, you can rationalize anything.Stefan Joneshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/stefan_e_jones/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-25319396491709113452014-02-14T04:25:48.870-08:002014-02-14T04:25:48.870-08:00A riff on the post title:
At 87, Sir David Attenb...A riff on the post title: <br />At 87, <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/11/sir-david-attenborough-enough-with-the-creationists-and-climate-change-deniers.html" title="and gives the anti-science crowd a serve" rel="nofollow">Sir David Attenborough is enthusing about recent research that shows plants use subsonics to guide their root growth.</a><br /><br />waving tneurs: what are tneurs? Am I being threatened?Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-66376042923219990252014-02-13T18:55:50.766-08:002014-02-13T18:55:50.766-08:00I wouldn't worry overmuch about the carbon/pet... I wouldn't worry overmuch about the carbon/petroleum barons, ultimately their product will be worth more as feedstock for the chemical industry, too valuable to burn. Yet another reason to encourage low carbon & carbon free energy, which IMO, should be promoted more for their immediate benefits than climate.Tim H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-34959354796187116782014-02-13T18:33:09.084-08:002014-02-13T18:33:09.084-08:00Re: Evolution of the human face.
Wow, our brains ...Re: Evolution of the human face.<br /><br />Wow, our brains really take off there at the end. The rest of the changes are the sort of variation you might see across any species of any mammal, different diet, different habitats, sexual selection, or just genetic drift. But that skull, whoosh.<br /><br />Re: Intracellular computer and AI<br /><br />It depends what it computes. It's likely that the bulk of any intracellular computing would be functions that enable extra-cellular computing, rather than an additional layer of processing.<br /><br />And worse case, we switch to bio-computers for specific AI processing. Most of the mass of the brain is involved in regulating the body and level-one processing of nerve input, intelligence is likely to be just a thin percentage on top of that. Take that bulk function away and you would have a much smaller mass for specialised AI (such as vision, kinaesthetic awareness, and natural language processing.)<br /><br />Re: MEG brain feedback.<br /><br />There's a bunch of TMS/EBS tricks you can do that change your ability to learn or perform a task, by switching parts of the conscious mind off, or change your mood. And various Yogi-types have controlled autonomic functions through meditation. And hypnotic pain-control can even allow surgery without anaesthetic, which apparently has better outcomes (less bleeding, better healing). With MEG feedback, or similar systems, you might be able to teach people how to reliably reach specific states for specific goals without TMS/EBS, hypnosis or decades of meditation and study. There might be distinct learning-new-skills, rote-learning, physical-performance, recall, focus-relaxed-work, de-stress, pain relief, happiness, etc, states. Eventually the sort of thing you might teach kids in schools as a general life-tool. The Classroom Of The Future may look like a '50s hair salon.<br /><br /><i>"gratitude for the biggest thing that fossil fuels gave us: an industrial revolution that lifted billions out of poverty,"</i><br /><br />And indeed, since we have used up the easily accessed sources, this cannot repeat again for at least tens if not hundreds of millions of years. So <i>this is the only technological civilisation that humans can ever have.</i> We need to ensure that the enabling technologies are as widespread around the planet as possible (TWODA) to ensure that we can re-bootstrap ourselves past fossil-fuels again if we need to. Including using methods that can be replicated following a Carrington Event, or mid-level civilisation killing asteroid, or nuclear war.Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-57601715551552663522014-02-13T17:55:15.103-08:002014-02-13T17:55:15.103-08:00Dangit, misspoke - not a hoax, just old news.Dangit, misspoke - not a hoax, just old news.Nathan Campbellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-31027037720440589692014-02-13T17:53:01.358-08:002014-02-13T17:53:01.358-08:00The genetically modified babies thing is an old ho...The genetically modified babies thing is an old hoax that's been recirculating lately: http://www.biopoliticaltimes.org/article.php?id=6837Nathan Campbellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53637161876912276832014-02-13T17:34:09.539-08:002014-02-13T17:34:09.539-08:00For those of you with more free time than money, 8...For those of you with more free time than money, 860,000 words of presumably decent SF available for download at no cost.<br /><br /><a href="http://stupefyingstories.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/announcing-2014-campbellian-anthology.html" rel="nofollow">http://stupefyingstories.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/announcing-2014-campbellian-anthology.html</a>sociotardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697154298087412934noreply@blogger.com