[ExI] Stem cell breakthrough

[Ben]

Adrian Tymes <atymes at gmail.com> wrote:

 >On Feb 4, 2014 3:56 AM, "Ben Zaiboc" <bbenzai at yahoo.com> wrote:

 >> I don't imagine it will be easy, far from it, I'm well aware that it'll
 >be very difficult.  What I am claiming is that it will be worthwhile.
 >
 >There would be benefit, true.  What is being questioned is whether there
 >would be more benefits for the same cost than could be had by 
upgrading the
 >current infrastructure, organ by organ.

I don't know about costs, and doubt that can be predicted at the moment, 
but there is no question that there would be more benefits. Many more 
benefits, just from the ideas that I'm currently kicking around, and 
doubtless many more beyond that.

 >Besides, if we are redoing the entire body plan, why stick with an organic
 >body?  There are stronger things that can be made to self-heal.

Indeed.  A big part of the idea is that there are parts of our bodies 
that don't actually need to be biological, and that it would be 
beneficial to combine biological with non-biological technology to 
create a body that's easier to maintain, diagnose problems with, repair, 
upgrade etc., as well as having a lot more control over. Not to mention 
realising the ideal of 'morphological freedom'.  It would be just as 
easy to build a centaur body as a standard human one, for instance.

I believe that we're on the brink of being able to create hybrid systems 
like this, and that it's worth developing plans now for how to use that 
capability when it's available.


 >> And it doesn't represent an upgrade path.
 >
 >Actually it does.

OK, I'm listening.  If there is an upgrade path from our original bodies 
using stem-cell therapy, I haven't thought of it.  What did you have in 
mind?

My main problem with stem-cell therapy is that if it works ok, all it 
does is to re-invigorate the same old Heath-Robinson design, which will 
then continue on the same old decay path.  You get to stay alive longer, 
but that's all.  If you're prone to back problems, that won't change.  
If you have a tendency to put on excess weight, you'll still have the 
same tendency.  Etc.
I'm after something much more radical and interesting.

Ben Zaiboc