From: Anders Sandberg (nv91-asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Sat Feb 15 1997 - 09:36:54 MST
> lrdsaker@ptd.net wrote:
>
> > "Globalhead" Bruce Sterling - anyone have comments on the story
> >"Our Neural Chernobyl", I'm interested in the idea of Gene-hacking, I'm
> >certain it's happening the only question is to what extent? According to
> >Sterling in the story (I'm wondering if this is factual, I suspect it is)
> >,quote:
> > "As early as the 1980's devices such as high-performance liquid
> >chromatographs,
> > cell-culture systems, and DNA sequencers were small enough to fit into
> >a closet
> > or attic. If not bought from junkyards, diverted, or stolen outright,
> >they could
> > be reconstructed from off-the-shelf parts by any bright and determined
> >teenager."
I don't know if it is happening, but we might make it happen. We have
some ideas here in Aleph to have a little genetics course for our
members, and I think quite a few of them would like to do their own
experiments...
Still, take a look at Charles Stross' "Dechlorinating the moderator" at
http://www.antipope.demon.co.uk/charlie/fiction/moderator.html
for a (humorous) similar scenario in a different field :-)
> > "The Killing Star" Charles Pellegrino and George Zebrowski -
> >in which (at the end,in a info. section)
> >,they write quote:
> > "According to the latest laboratory experiments, 1 or 2 simple brain
> > proteins seem to determine the efficiency with which nerves fire and
> > thoughts are connected." etc.... "brain boosting drugs could become
> > available in as few as 5 years"
> >Unfortunately they don't give any hard particulars about the research,
Huh? This sounds unlikely, I haven't seen anything like it in my
neuroscience readings.
> > Also simmilarly if anyone knows about something called NSC "Natal
> >Stimulant
> >compound"? or something called "Beta-metalethetigine" ?
Hmm, the first sounds like a neurotrophic factor. I found no references
to them in the medical parts of the WWW, but several in a roleplaying
supplement on the net, suggesting that they might be fiction.
Of course, there are NGFs that act on the young brain, but I doubt they
are that useful in adults.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension!
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