I have been giving this question some thought ever since my daughter shared with me an article describing the work of researchers at the Scripps Research Institute who created molecules that self-replicate, evolve and compete to win or loose.” This is the only case outside [natural] biology where molecular information has been immortalized,” says Professor Gerald Joyce, M.D., Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty at Scripps Research.
The hand of man has willfully, purposefully, altered the genome of crops and animals for thousands of years to suit its purposes. In our recent life time, we have witnessed artificial intelligence, our mechanical devices wondering the barren fields of other worlds, two even leaving our vast solar system entirely, and the artificial cloning of mammals. We can freeze human embryos for decades, and thereby my son and my great-grandson can be delivered by the same unrelated woman at the same time. Pause for a moment to appreciate just how profoundly bizarre and “unnatural” that reality is.
If we create new life forms in much the same way as God has; as this article implies, with random molecules, forming random proteins and enzymes, further on to RNA and ultimately DNA itself, then is there a difference between life created by man and life created by God?
Such a life, so created by the hands of man, could then evolve in response to outside forces such as a hungry neighbor, climate change resulting from the natural rhythm of the earth’s rotation, an ill-timed collision by some stray piece space born rock, or a hard shake of that petri dish, thus encouraging an adaptation (i.e., its evolution) in the same randomness experienced by all life that is now and ever was on this planet. Of course unlike God, the luxury of patience has not been naturally engineered in our genome. We could not wait 4.5 billions years to see what unfurls from our own creation in that petri dish. I suppose then we would encourage the process of adaptation to occur as quickly as possible, thus allowing us to witness evolution first hand as only God has. Imagine, humanity with the power of God but with the patience of a Mayfly.
There is no point discussing whether we should risk opening Pandora’s mythical box. Humanity has the box and the key – so an opened box is a certainty. Indeed, if the price of engineering out of our genome the likes of cancer, childhood leukemia and a host of life altering birth defects is an occasional Frankenstein or two, then the risk is well worth it. Besides, history has already brought us a number of Frankensteins. If Man accidentally or deliberately creates one or two starting from a petri dish, who is to say that he has done a worse job than God.
Now once such a life, a life created and evolved by the hand of Man, becomes self-aware, would it have a soul – if there is such a thing?
We have engineered ways to artificially split human eggs to produce twins or more. No one I know would suggest that these twins share one soul or that one or the other is lacking a soul. Isn’t an identical twin essential a “naturally occurring” clone? I say “naturally” only because we have not yet found the catalyst (the specific genes) within our DNA that makes some people predisposed to producing identical twins (or maybe we have).Cultures throughout history the world over have expressed God in a human form, only far more superior and capable in every way imaginable to them at the time. Perhaps humanity has known all along that such a vision is indeed its own destiny. Perhaps time has come for the All Mighty to step aside and give Man a turn at playing God, or perhaps we are here because he has already done so.
Post updated on July 21, 2010.
what an interesting piece.
Frankly, I have the opinion that only ‘life can beget life’…whether that life comes through the instrument of man, animal, plant or whatnot.
I think the bigger question for me is not so much “can man create life” but “what will man do with the life he creates?”
Word.
I read another article that was even more interesting, as it seemed to give to give pause to the idea that Lamarkian genetics was total fable.
I believe this article came from a recent Newsweek article. Essentially, there are these strange looking beetle that, if the mother is attacked by a predator and survives, her offspring are born with spikes, and if the mother goes through life without an attack on her life, her offspring are born without spikes.
How utterly bizzare is that?!
Also, here’s another cool article, though totally unrelated:
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/01/22/fish-gender.html
It reminds me of the premise of SeaQuest – that though mankind has extensively studied space, our deepest oceans yet remain a mystery. I think even today we know more about stars millions of light years away than we do about our own ocean.
This scares me and I ain’t afraid of nothin’!
I imagine that humanity is far better prepared for the finding of life on Mars or the moons of Saturn than the “Frankenstein-like” world that would surely result at the hands of man with all the power of god and the patience of a Mayfly.
Our imperfect democracy has found a way to evolve into something better over the last two centuries, even the last 40 years has been a sea change. God didn’t see it worthwhile to give my grandmother or any woman before her, the right to vote in her own country. There are millions of babies suffering with horrific genetic challenges. Maybe this news is not such a bad thing. Maybe time has come for the All Mighty to step aside and give us all a turn at playing God.
So the biggest fear noted here is Man with all the power of the Almighty, but with the patience of a Mayfly. I agree, but I am inclined to risk it. I think we are up to the task. Indeed, if the price of engineering out of our genome the likes of cancer, childhood leukemia and a host of life altering birth defects is an occasional Frankenstein or two, then the risk is well worth it. Besides, history has already brought us a number of Frankensteins. If Man accidentally or deliberately creates one or two, who is to say that he has done a worse job than God.
“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” (Revelation 20:13)
We are fools. This will be bring the end of us all!
I also heard one about ants knowing when others were carrying/pregnant/etc. and were not supposed to be and went on the attack. Unfortunately, I don’t have the resource, but will look for same. thanks for sharing the links, we’re on it…
well, most of the world or would it be society, is fairly scary. peace.
ah, the patience of a mayfly, interesting. Always questioning the impact of environment on waiting genes…………
the end then has been a long time coming………….
thanks,buddy,i like it
I rather take my chances with nature. Will also bet that most in the world would do same.