11 votes

Researchers create first artificial human prion

7 comments

  1. [2]
    Inothernews1
    Link
    This sounds like a news report from the beginning of a horror movie. Like seriously, if we even fuck up the structure of a prion just a little teensy bit, then it could go from life saving...

    This sounds like a news report from the beginning of a horror movie. Like seriously, if we even fuck up the structure of a prion just a little teensy bit, then it could go from life saving amazing, to holy crap we just extincted the whole human race šŸ˜¬

    God save us all...

    3 votes
    1. silva-rerum
      Link Parent
      With great power comes great responsibility. Iā€™m just not sure humanity got that particular memo -_-

      With great power comes great responsibility. Iā€™m just not sure humanity got that particular memo -_-

      1 vote
  2. [5]
    SaucedButLeaking
    Link
    As frightening as the potential for a doomsday is, this is a really cool development. A designer prion is a tool to help reshape proteins into what they should be (or to manufacture therapeutic...

    As frightening as the potential for a doomsday is, this is a really cool development. A designer prion is a tool to help reshape proteins into what they should be (or to manufacture therapeutic proteins). I don't think we have anything else in the therapeutic toolbox that addresses the same kind of issues at this level.

    I was going to say that prion diseases at least aren't airborne, but oh shit they can be. Link to what I believe is the referenced study

    2 votes
    1. [4]
      silva-rerum
      Link Parent
      In general there are plenty of medical and technological advancements that will have the potential to seriously fuck humanity over if anything were to ever go catastrophically wrong with them. But...

      In general there are plenty of medical and technological advancements that will have the potential to seriously fuck humanity over if anything were to ever go catastrophically wrong with them. But I agree with you that these advancements, if handled correctly, can be game changers for the better, and that such a positive net gain makes it worth the risk.

      One of the factors that comes into play when humans choose to become gods is the types of creators and gods they end up becoming. Harlan Ellisonā€™s short story, ā€œI Have No Mouth and I Must Screamā€ touches upon these ideas. It explores the extremes of what happens when shitty, malicious and/or ignorant creators take the helm.

      So while I think humanity should aim for the stars, I think itā€™s going to take a lot of soul-searching on a species-wide level before weā€™re in the best position to do it.

      1 vote
      1. [3]
        Hypersapien
        Link Parent
        We literally need to reach for the stars. As in start working on self-sufficient extra-terrestrial colonies. As long as the entire human race is in one biosphere, we're in danger.

        We literally need to reach for the stars. As in start working on self-sufficient extra-terrestrial colonies. As long as the entire human race is in one biosphere, we're in danger.

        3 votes
        1. silva-rerum
          Link Parent
          Agreed, but assuming various levels of human social structures can have personality types or traits, what happens if itā€™s a sociopathic subset of humanity that does it first?

          Agreed, but assuming various levels of human social structures can have personality types or traits, what happens if itā€™s a sociopathic subset of humanity that does it first?

        2. SaucedButLeaking
          Link Parent
          Agreed, and I feel like we as a species are subconsciously teching towards this.

          Agreed, and I feel like we as a species are subconsciously teching towards this.