[ExI] Terraforming Australia

[Dan TheBookMan]

On Dec 6, 2558 BE, at 3:06 PM, Rafal Smigrodzki <rafal.smigrodzki at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Sun, Dec 6, 2015 at 1:14 PM, Tomaz Kristan <protokol2020 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I am entirely in favor of your motion! Only that almost everywhere on this planet some terraforming is quite necessary. 
>> 
>> Exterminating hornets, snakes, adjust temperatures ... is mandatory, if you ask me.
>> 
>> The majority would be horrified of course, but I don't care.
> 
> ### Count me in. It would be nice to use gene-drives to render harmless creatures that pose a threat to human life, whether by genetic modification or by outright destruction.

The fear would be accidentally eliminating something essential to the biosphere and human existence, no? For instance, can a gene drive used to get rid of a malarial spreading mosquito be prevented from spreading to other mosquitos? (I'm also wondering about good old Darwinian evolution working around the mechanism in this particular example. But, of course, that might be easier to deal with once you have the tools and knowledge.)

I'm not saying I share these concerns. Others do, though. And they might have to be persuaded.

Regards,

Dan
  Sample my Kindle books via:
http://author.to/DanUst
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/attachments/20151206/9cf591fa/attachment.html>