[extropy-chat] Good application of GMO

[Damien Broderick]

At 01:05 PM 3/10/2005 -0600, Max wrote:


>Scientists hope to augment conventional public health measures with 
>genetically modified insects and bacteria. They want to use the 
>“sterile-insect technique” to combat Chagas’ disease ­ but will 
>governments mouthing the precautionary principle allow the release of 
>these genetically modified bugs?

I'm pretty sure the general attitude will be: better the (limited) devil we 
know--and besides, it's happening *there* not *here*--than the (perhaps 
catastrophic and relentlessly, unstoppably advancing) devil we don't. How 
can anyone assure people that the unknown devil will *not* be catastrophic? 
Very difficult...

Damien Broderick