annathepiper | HOLY CRAP II!

annathepiper

Cloning of human embryos achieved.

DAMN, this is quite the news day, ain't it, folks?

Current Mood: shocked

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

me-fein.livejournal.com

Yeah, read this on CNN.com early early. Don't know how I feel...maybe kinda torn.

I mean, there are definite advantages and such - but then there is the flipside, which is why so many folks are griping. Don't know.

Too many factors, but I suppose I would like more study into the whole process, anyway. Growing new organs fascinates me on a personal level.

From:

annathepiper

I think I'm with you on this. Handled responsibly, I can see this particular scientific breakthrough having all sorts of marvelous ramifications, but there's the rub--will it be handled responsibly? It may just be a result of me being an SF/fantasy fan, but the notion of the ability to clone people being in the hands of most people on this planet just does give me the heebie-jeebies, yeah.

From:

me-fein.livejournal.com

Yes, I am a learned optimist - so I do have eventual hope that this cloning stuff will be handled responsibility and will actually be very useful in the future. Distant future, mind you, since I am also a natural pessimist and believe that before we get to that stage, we're going to have some very F*ed up experiments and such.

It's not a requirement we go through life with extraneous limbs and organs and such - but it would be nice if we had the option to get certain things replaced, if desired. Personally, I don't think I would want to get another eye (I've had an artifical eye from birth - bourn with only 1) - think of the trippy depth perception - since I have already lived and learned how to deal with my world for 30 years like this. Although, if I were younger, I think the option of getting a new eye and having the advantage of 2 eyes would be nice.

We have a long way to go and reading that article did make me nervous a bit, too.

From:

annathepiper

I too am usually an optimist--though that's been sorely strained, with this past week. ;P

And... I also just have to mention that this comment of yours just touched me in an odd sort of 'life intersecting with art' kind of way, due to the part about your eye and depth perception. It made me think, since I'm trying to write a character who lost his eye 14 years prior to the setting of the story I am working on, and issues of depth perception have in fact crossed my mind. Partly due to this comment. So I must thank you for making me think!