Category Archives: Human Genetic Engineering

China has blown the whistle on the potential dangers of what it calls "genetic weapons" that could prove to be an incredibly potent weapon of mass destruction, the Global Times reports. On Monday, October 20, 2023, the Chinese Ministry of State Security released a statement on WeChat warning that a "certain" foreign non-governmental organization (NGO) had recruited Chinese "volunteers" to collect biodiversity distribution data under the guise of biological species research to steal China's species data.

The ministry did not name the countries in question, nor did it offer evidence to support the claim. While not a new claim, the existence of such weapons has long been dismissed by the mainstream scientific community as a "conspiracy theory." In a February 2020 report, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports, the Council on Strategic Risks stated that bioweapons as a deterrent were "irrelevant" because no country was safe from the effects of a pandemic.

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China warns a 'certain country' is making ethnic bioweapons - Interesting Engineering

In the rapidly evolving landscape of technology, innovation continues to shape the world we live in. Frontier tech, also known as cutting-edge or emerging technology, is at the forefront of this transformation. These emerging technologies are poised to redefine industries, disrupt traditional business models, and push the boundaries of what's possible. In this article, we will explore the future of frontier tech, examining key trends and their potential impacts on society and the economy, writes Colin Stevens.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence, often referred to as AI, has already made significant strides, but its future holds even greater promise. The integration of AI into various aspects of our lives, from autonomous vehicles and healthcare diagnostics to customer service chatbots, is set to become more profound. AI will continue to evolve, with more advanced algorithms, natural language understanding, and improved machine learning models. This progress will lead to better decision-making, increased efficiency, and the emergence of new applications we haven't even imagined yet. Quantum Computing

Quantum computing is a game-changer in the world of computing. Unlike classical computers, quantum computers harness the power of quantum bits (qubits) to perform complex calculations exponentially faster. As quantum technology matures, it will revolutionize fields like cryptography, materials science, drug discovery, and optimization problems. The ongoing research in quantum algorithms and hardware will pave the way for practical quantum computers that can tackle some of the world's most challenging problems.

5G and Beyond

The rollout of 5G networks is just the beginning of a new era in wireless communication. Beyond 5G, we will witness the development of 6G technology, which promises even higher data speeds, lower latency, and greater connectivity. These advancements will fuel the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), enabling more interconnected devices and immersive experiences. 6G may also enable entirely new applications, such as holographic communication and remote surgery.

Blockchain and Cryptocurrency

Blockchain technology, known for its role in enabling cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, has applications that extend beyond digital currency. Decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and smart contracts are just a few examples of how blockchain is disrupting traditional finance, art, and legal processes. In the future, we can expect to see more widespread adoption of blockchain in various sectors, including supply chain management, voting systems, and identity verification. Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering

Advances in biotechnology and genetic engineering are poised to revolutionize healthcare, agriculture, and even our understanding of life itself. Gene editing techniques like CRISPR-Cas9 offer the potential to cure genetic diseases, create more resilient crops, and address environmental challenges. As our understanding of the human genome deepens, we may also see breakthroughs in personalized medicine and enhanced human capabilities.

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies are making their way into various industries, including gaming, healthcare, education, and manufacturing. In the future, AR glasses and VR headsets could become more compact, affordable, and versatile, enabling immersive experiences for everyday tasks. The blending of physical and digital worlds through AR will lead to a wide range of applications, from interactive navigation to enhanced training and remote collaboration.

Space Exploration and Commercialization

Space exploration is no longer the exclusive domain of governments. Private companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are rapidly advancing the possibilities of commercial space travel and colonization. These developments have the potential to unlock new economic opportunities in space mining, satellite services, and interplanetary tourism.

Challenges and Considerations

While frontier tech holds immense promise, it also raises important ethical, regulatory, and security concerns. As technology continues to evolve, society must grapple with issues like data privacy, cybersecurity, AI bias, and the ethical implications of genetic engineering. Striking a balance between innovation and responsibility will be a key challenge in the future.

The future of frontier tech is a journey into uncharted territory, where the boundaries of what's possible are constantly expanding. As AI, quantum computing, 5G, blockchain, biotechnology, AR/VR, and space exploration continue to advance, they will create new opportunities and challenges for society. Staying informed and engaged with these emerging technologies will be crucial in shaping a future that harnesses their potential for the benefit of all. The path ahead is full of possibilities, and it's up to us to navigate the horizon of frontier tech responsibly and wisely.

About the author: Colin Stevens founded EU Reporter in 2008. He has more than 30 years of experience as a TV producer, journalist and news editor. He is a past president of the Press Club Brussels (2020-2022) and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters at Zerah Business School (Malta and Luxembourg) for leadership in European journalism.

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Navigating the horizon: The future of frontier tech - EU Reporter

As with the best science fiction, Lems novel The Invincible has as much to teach us about our present situations as any futures we may face.

In the grand tradition of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, Stanisaw Lems The Invincible tells the story of a space cruiser sent to an obscure planet to determine the fate of a sister spaceship whose communication with Earth has abruptly ceased. Landing on the planet Regis III, navigator Rohan and his crew discover a form of life that has apparently evolved from autonomous, self-replicating machines perhaps the survivors of a robot war. Rohan and his men are forced to confront the classic quandary: What course of action can humanity take once it has reached the limits of its knowledge? In The Invincible, Lem has his characters confront the inexplicable and the bizarre: the problem that lies just beyond analytical reach.

The following is literary critic and theorist N. Katherine Hayles foreword to the 2020 edition of Lems classic novel, originally published in Polish in 1964.

Science fiction has famously predicted many of the important technologies of the 20th century: space travel, satellites, the atomic bomb, television, the internet, and virtual reality, to name a few. In The Invincible, Stanisaw Lem predicts another: artificial life. Although speculations about self-reproducing artificial systems date from the 1940s, the scientific field received its name from Christopher Langton only in 1986, more than two decades after the original publication of The Invincible (1964). One of the central controversies in artificial life is whether evolutionary programs and devices are actually alive (the strong version), or whether they merely simulate life (the weak version). Researchers who follow the strong version argue that the processes embedded in software programs such as genetic algorithms are as natural as life itself; what is artificial is the medium in which these processes take place.

The issue prompted Robert Rosen, among others, to speculate about the essential characteristics of life itself, not only as it evolved on Earth in carbon-based life forms but also about the possibility of life-as-it-could-be in exoplanetary systems, arguing that silicon-based artificial life forms may provide insight into these theoretical speculations.

The Invincible presents a fascinating hybridization of these different views. Dr. Laudas hypothesis proposes that a space ship from the Lycran system landed on Regis III millions of years ago; while the biological visitors perished, the automata did not. There then followed an evolutionary struggle between the automata and the planets indigenous life forms, on the one hand, and between the different kinds of automata, on the other. Such a scenario requires that the survive and reproduce mandate that governs life on Earth could also operate on this planet. Lem minimally fulfills the requirement by postulating that the automata could manufacture themselves with modifications dictated by evolutionary processes. Clearly his interest is not in filling out how this might take place (John von Neumann, encountering a similar problem, imagined metal parts floating on a lake that could self-assemble). Rather, Lems focus is on envisioning an artificial life form that won the evolutionary competition on Regis III for profoundly different reasons than did Homo sapiens on Earth.

The effect is achieved by introducing a significant factor that has a monumental impact on evolutionary trajectories: rather than fulfilling their energy needs through ingesting food, the automata on Regis III evolve to use solar power. The smaller the artificial organism, the less energy it needs. Hence the evolutionary driver is toward smaller forms, which overcome not through superior intellect but through swarm intelligence. Lem added to this the ability of the swarm of flies to generate immensely powerful electromagnetic fields, which meant that the tiny automata are not only the evolutionary winners on their planet but a powerful force against the invading humans. Their tiny size notwithstanding, their awesome potential illuminates the profound ambiguity of the works title, which can be taken to refer either to the spaceships proud name or to the swarms of alien automata that threaten it.

From a broader cosmic perspective, the best of human science, engineering, and weaponry may reveal humans to be completely out of our depth, mere kindergarteners bidding for a place in the universes adult civilizations.

Contemporary research in artificial life has validated Lems insight that swarms of artificial beings require only a few simple rules to manifest complex behaviors and hence each member needs to carry only a little cognitive power onboard. Computer simulations that have accurately depicted swarm behaviors in fish, birds, bees, and other biota demonstrate that each individual responds only to the four or five closest to it, with rule sets that take up only a few lines of code. For example, a school of fish swimming to evade a predator is guided by the fish closest to the predator. The direction this most imperiled individual follows determines how the entire school will run as it flashes back and forth, a simple strategy that makes excellent sense, since the fish that has the most to lose will try hardest to escape. Although each fishs behaviors are simple, the collective result nevertheless generates swarm intelligence of considerable complexity.

Decades before these ideas became disseminated within the scientific community, Lem intuited that different environmental constraints might lead to radically different evolutionary results in automata compared to biological life forms. Although on Earth the most intelligent species (i.e., humans) has tended to fare the best, their superior intelligence comes with considerable costs: a long period of maturation; a lot of resources invested in each individual; socialization patterns that emphasize pair bonding and community support; and a premium on individual achievement. But these are not cosmic universals, and different planetary histories might result in the triumph of very different kinds of qualities.

The contrasts between humans and the automata swarm are brought out most poignantly in the scene between Captain Horpach and First Officer Rohan, in which the captain delegates to Rohan the decision whether to put another crew member in grave danger to determine if the missing four men have indeed perished, as seems all but certain, or whether one or more might still be alive. The assumptions that make this gamble even remotely worth taking are revealing: human life is precious; human solidarity depends on the crews belief that everything possible will be done to save them if they are in peril; and every human is unique and therefore uniquely valuable. None of these, of course, holds true for the swarm, whose individual members are virtually identical to one another, with each tiny automaton easily replaced and therefore disposable. Consequently, none is valuable in itself; only the swarm has evolutionary survival value. The contest, then, is not only between different life forms but also between the different values that have resulted from the divergent evolutionary pathways of humans on Earth and the flies on this strange planet. As with Solaris, Lem suggests that assumptions born and bred of Earth may appear hopelessly provincial in light of human encounters with radically different life forms. From a broader cosmic perspective, the best of human science, engineering, and weaponry may reveal humans to be completely out of our depth, mere kindergarteners bidding for a place in the universes adult civilizations. The reduction of crew members to infancy when attacked by the flies may be a metaphor for this realization.

Of all the human characters, Rohan has the strongest claim to have encountered the planet on its own terms. He has traversed its terrain with his own feet; he has mixed his sweat with its crevices, valleys, and hills; he has breathed its native atmosphere into his lungs. The insight he gains from his heroic trek therefore commands our respect. When he concludes that not everything everywhere is for us [humans], we are right to hear in this pronouncement Lems own challenge to the anthropocentric assumptions that continue to dominate human ethical frameworks as well as human exploitations of planet Earth. As with the best science fiction, The Invincible has as much to teach us about our present situations as any futures we may face.

N. Katherine Hayles is Distinguished Research Professor of English at the University of California, Los Angeles.

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Stanisaw Lem's Prescient Vision of Artificial Life - The MIT Press Reader

In 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) publicised a global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem. To achieve this goal, the organisation recommends that 90% of girls be fully vaccinated with the human papilloma virus(HPV) vaccine by the age of 15; and that 70% of women be screened with a high-performance test by the age of 35.

For more than four decades, the University of Cape Towns (UCT) Professor Lynette Denny one of the countrys and continents leading cervical cancer researchers has been at the forefront of this fight. During a recent conference, arranged to shine a spotlight on the advances in prostate and cervical cancer research organised by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) Professor Denny highlighted the importance of adopting effective screen-and-treat strategies to adequately address the burden of this disease on women.

We started looking at alternative strategies to the pap smear because of our failure to make a dent on [the burden caused by] cervical cancer.

Denny told the audience that her team at the Khayelitsha Cervical Cancer Screening Project (KCCSP), have for years been testing and evaluating alternative, effective methods to the pap smear a well-known procedure used to test for cervical cancer. The KCCSP fast tracks research into cervical cancer prevention and treatment options and provides vital HPV screening and treatment. The clinic is located on the Khayelitsha Community Health Clinic precinct in Site B.

Evaluating alternative strategies

We started looking at alternative strategies to the pap smear because of our failure to make a dent on [the burden caused by] cervical cancer, Denny said.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer globally, and in 2020 claimed the lives of approximately 350000 women. More than 80% of cases occur in low- to middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Melanesia, Asia and Southeast Asia. In South Africa, thousands of cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed annually, and the prognosis is seldom good.

Over the past couple of years, Denny and her team have explored several alternative techniques to the pap smear. One, she explained, included evaluating the effectiveness of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), both with and without magnification a simple and inexpensive test used to detect cervical pre-cancerous lesions. The next alternative was exploring the use of visual automated evaluation using artificial intelligence and machine learning. This technique shows promise, but, said Denny, further investigation into its effectiveness is still required. The third option was assessing the feasibility of molecular testing using nucleic acid amplification(NAATs). NAATS is a unique HPV DNA test that checks the presence of specific cancer-causing strains, and this technique revealed some pleasantly surprising results.

Using HPV NAATs as the primary screening test prevents cancer and saves more lives than [the use of] VIA cytology as the primary screening test, Denny said. [Therefore] the WHO now encourages the use of HPV NAATs once testing infrastructure is operational and affordable.

Randomised control trial

While on a quest to locate effective, safe and affordable methods to prevent cervical cancer, Denny said the team designed a randomised clinical control trial to investigate the efficacy and feasibility of two specific screen-and-treat strategies. More than 6000 non-pregnant women, who were previously unscreened for HPV, were recruited from clinics in Khayelitsha and participated in the study.

She said a group of women were randomly selected for an HPV [NAATs] screen-and-treat round, in which HPV-positive women received prior therapy; while the second group of participants followed a VIA screen-and-treat approach and HPV-positive women received prior therapy as well.

Performance characteristics of HPV and VIA as the primary screening tests you can see that [with] HPV testing, we [achieved] a 90% sensitivity [to detecting pre-cancerous lesions], 85% specificity, and a 99% negative predictive value. This is very important for national screening programmes.

However, she pointed out that the VIA screen-and-treat results revealed a below 50% sensitivity to detecting pre-cancerous lesions, an 80% specificity and 97% negative predictive value.

If we compare these two screen-and-treat strategies, to reduce the accumulative prevalence of CIN2+ [cervical cancer] by 36 months, we see that we needed 23 patients screened [with HPV NAATS] to prevent one case of CIN2, compared to 50 cases of VIA. This gives you a graphic description, Denny said.

The way forward

However, she added, the right screen-and-treat strategy depends on the environment and the clinics location.

The impact of cervical cancer and mortality must be measured and demonstrated. Without knowing the impact, the process of secondary prevention will fail.

And as scientists and clinicians work towards winning the war on cervical cancer, Denny said there is an urgent need to meticulously evaluate screen-and-treat strategies, while keeping various contexts in the country, the continent and the world top of mind. Further, she said, performing situational analyses to assess these contexts prior to introducing the preferred strategy is essential to ensure that it will benefit the patient and will not break the system.

We need to create a menu of options. What exactly is needed for successful [screen-and-treat] implementation? The ultimate goal is the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem, Denny said. The impact of cervical cancer incidence and mortality must be measured and demonstrated. Without knowing the impact, the process of secondary prevention will fail.

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Screen and treat essential to beat cervical cancer - University of Cape Town News

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The potential of CO2-based production cycles in biotechnology to ... - Nature.com

An anonymous reader shares a report: PFAS stands for "per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances," a family of upwards of 15,000 or more human-made and incredibly durable chemical compounds that have been used in countless industrial and consumer applications for decades. Firefighting foams, waterproof hiking boots, raincoats, nonstick frying pans, dental floss, lipstick, and even the ink used to label packaging -- all can contain PFAS. The compounds are ubiquitous in drinking water and soil, even migrating to Arctic sea ice. PFAS are called forever chemicals because once present in the environment, they do not degrade or break down. They accumulate, are transferred throughout the watershed, and ultimately persist. The quest to reduce the amount of PFAS in the environment is what led me to an industrial park in a southern suburb of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The jar of PFAS concentrate in my hand is part of a demonstration arranged by my hosts, Revive Environmental, during a tour of the company's PFAS destruction site, one of the first in the country to operate commercially and at scale. A few yards in front of me sits the company's PFAS "Annihilator" in a white shipping container.

The Annihilator represents just one of several technologies now vying to break down and destroy PFAS. These span the gamut from established processes like electrochemical oxidation and supercritical water oxidation to emerging techniques relying on ultraviolet light, plasma, ultrasound, or catalyst-driven thermal processes. Some are deployed in field tests. Other companies are actively running pilot programs, many with various divisions of the US Department of Defense and other government agencies. And many other technologies are still undergoing laboratory research. There's good reason for this. Not only are PFAS everywhere around us; they're also in us. Humans can't break down PFAS, and our bodies struggle to clear them from our systems. Studies suggest they're in my blood and yours -- the majority of Americans,' in fact -- and they have been linked to increased risks of kidney and testicular cancer, decreased infant birthweights, and high blood pressure. And that's only what we know about now: researchers continue to grapple with the full impacts of PFAS on human and environmental health.

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The Race To Destroy PFAS, the Forever Chemicals - Slashdot