Interesting stuff.. The dichotomy between risk from access and risk from non-access is real. The greater the risk... usually the higher the likelihood of leaning towards regulation. Example... we argue about gun control. We don't argue about person possesion of atomic/nuclear weapons. Furthermore, we don't inadvertantly drop bombs. The risk of some designer gene functioning in some unexpected way and totally screwing everything may be small, but with an enourmous potential consequence.
As backwards as this may sound, I'm not convinced we should be using GM organisms planetside at all. It's hugely important sure... but ecological systems are far more delicate than they might first appear. Elimination or even changes in the habits of a single keystone species can fuck everything. Unfortunately, with all of the other ways we're screwing the planet, GM may be the only solution we'll be able to muster.
Think of how quickly comp tech advanced in the hands of people tinkering at home... advances in Genetics may follow that trend leading us to some utopic yaddah. Keep in mind the race between virus/worm/comp pathogens and technologies to prevent/fix as well... imagine this occuring in a biological arena. One day, all the cats die because some fucker thought it would be funny. Idk.
Fortunately, the decision will never be mine to make. I can hover around in a disaproving fog huff.
Up here at the SFM facility, we're amping up to do a lot of remediation and eco driven work. I believe that this is a part of grinding/biohacking/transhumanism. Were we adequately funded, I'd totally be building Biosphere III or the equivalent. We've even been discussing a new project involving some nitrogen fixers we'd like to gene mod, so I'm not really anti-GM per se.
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As backwards as this may sound, I'm not convinced we should be using GM organisms planetside at all. It's hugely important sure... but ecological systems are far more delicate than they might first appear. Elimination or even changes in the habits of a single keystone species can fuck everything. Unfortunately, with all of the other ways we're screwing the planet, GM may be the only solution we'll be able to muster.
Think of how quickly comp tech advanced in the hands of people tinkering at home... advances in Genetics may follow that trend leading us to some utopic yaddah. Keep in mind the race between virus/worm/comp pathogens and technologies to prevent/fix as well... imagine this occuring in a biological arena. One day, all the cats die because some fucker thought it would be funny. Idk.
Fortunately, the decision will never be mine to make. I can hover around in a disaproving fog huff.