[extropy-chat] Dali people

[Paul Grant]

-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org
[mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Damien
Broderick
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 1:56 PM
To: ExI chat list
Subject: [extropy-chat] Dali people


Reversine has been reported here previously, I think, but I wonder about
the possible weaponized implications:

============
Scientists Turn Back the Clock on Adult Muscle Cells

The researchers discovered that a small molecule called Reversine causes
cells programmed to develop into muscle cells to go into reverse and
transform back into immature cells capable of developing into many
different types of cells and tissues. <snip>
===========

Fiddle with it, get it into a common gut bacterium or infectious virus,
and see the people melt like Dali watches... Michael Crichton could
write a novel about it, and Prince Charles could warn his nation of the
peril.

Anything to this fearful prospect, bio-dudes?
--
Depends; doesn't say where they isolated it from;  If its something
naturally produced by
the human body, I would hazard to say that it already has a mechanism in
place for dealing
with it;  of course, that mechanism may be, say to limit the production
of said chemical
(in which case an external source could pose a problem, since its not
under any obligation
to stop production) or it could be motivate the cell to produce a
chemical to inactivate
it...  Of course, if its completely foreign, then one might start to
wonder if there was
a mechanism in place to stop/control reverse differentiation..  I would
tend to think
that such a nifty piece of chemical would be fairly useful, so I don't
see why it wouldn't
be a bit more widespread...  This is all speculation on my part, since
I'm nowhere
near qualified to answer;  I will say it has some intriguing
(therapeutic) possibilities.

omard-out