Robots Taking Over the Future?

In this fast-paced society we live in, technology seems to be the number one fastest progression. Innovators are now working on robots that can almost exactly mimic the human body. This simply scares me. What does it mean? Do they plan on having these robots take over the labor field? Who will control these robots, a master robot? These questions I cannot answer, but if the answer to any of them is "yes", I fear humanity is in danger. If they have robots working on experiments about yeast metabolism (like Adam in the article "Robot Scientists 'can think for themselves'"), and he can finish the experiment, think about it and begin a new experiment then what is stopping them from making an entire lab full of "robo-scientists"? Thats just scary. I do not want our future to turn into a dismal, robot-infested world. The human race will be inferior to the robots, and robots with empathy will figure out ways to destroy us, because we may be seen as a threat. This is all pretty far fetched, but where else can our future lead to with robots that are exactly like humans, except smarter? I know something of this sort will occur, and let me tell you....I hope its not in my lifetime.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/robot-scientists-can-think-for-themselves-1661572.html

Steady diet of protein fighting HIV

Recently it has been discovered that a protein that helps to suppress cancer can also be used to fend off the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Mathias Lichterfeld, an infectious disease physician, has presented this new data. The protein p21 has been found in ample amounts in a select group of HIV infected patients that rarely develop AIDS.
This group of people that seem to be unaffected by the virus have been put under the name of long-term nonprogressors. This groups seems to have naturally been able to produce copious amounts of the protein p21 through their genetics. Four different groups of people were compared in the study. 14 who were HIV negative, 16 with HIV that had progressed, 10 with HIV who were undergoing treatment and 15 whose HIV infection had totally stalled. The last group of nonprogressors were so proficient that the virus was undetectable in their system. This rare group of nonprogressors consists of 1% or fewer of the population infected with the virus. Scientists are referring to this group of people as the elite controllers.
HIV fundamentally attacks CD4 T cells in the body. These cells are responsible for producing p21 which fights off the virus. In the group of elite controllers it was found that their CD4 T cells produced anywhere from 10 to 100 times more p21 than other patients. This difference is not quite a subtle difference but a remarkable one.
Before I had read this article I had thought that there would never be a cure for HIV or AIDS, at least not for a handful of years. But now with this discovery we may be able to find a way to produce a remedy that helps to multiply the amount of p21 from the CD4 T cells.

Chocolate the bitter but sweet treat

The idea that chocolate is actually good for you would have been considered crazy many years ago but in recent years it been discovered it has more uses that curing that broken heart. During recent years it’s become know that chocolate has health benefits. More specifically the cacao bean itself. Some say that it can help circulatory issues and also is pumped full of antioxidants which benefit the immune system.(1) Other sources conclude that it has other benefits l effects including anticancer, brain stimulator, cough preventer and antidiarrhoeal properties.(2) All of these aspects are great but the main focus of my post is the most recent discovery on a particular species of cacao. During this week it was noted that two research teams have apparently blueprinted the DNA structure of the Cacao tree. (3) But what does this exactly mean? One of the main problems the growers of the tree face is pathogens that cause frosty pod and black pod, diseases that can wipe out 80 percent of the plants. This new data sequence will allow the farmers to breed far superior cacao trees resistant to the problems they face while growing. In the eyes of science this seems like a great idea. But could the act of playing god disrupt the entire ecosystem? Only time will tell. Hopefully they will take the proper approach with testing before fully implementing their plan. As far as the credibility of the sources I’d say they are accurate in their information because WebMD is a widely know source for medical information and the same goes for CNN. I think the intended audience for each source was different, o ne being for everyone and the other being for people interested in science. A similar case makes me a tad bit frightened. When African killer bees were introduced to South America within the past hundred years it was thought they wouldn’t be able to survive as they slowly migrated north into the use to the lower temperature. The exact opposite happened. The bees interbred with a species of bee native to our country and passed on their cold resistance to a new species of killer bee. These bees are far more aggressive than their African native and have led to deaths of some number of people. Is it right playing god?

"Dark Chocolate Is Healthy Chocolate." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. .http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/12/20/health.chocolate/

Ehrenberg, By Rachel. Science News. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/63417/title/A_taste_of_the_chocolate_genome

http://www.cacaogenomedb.org/

Science and Art, Yin and Yang

My largest fears for the future of technology are our over-reliance on it and the possibility that it will evolve independently of the arts.

I think these two potential problems travel hand in hand. As technology progresses exponentially more and more, people becoming increasingly trusting and reliant on it. As this relationship between technology and culture progresses, it may get to the point where the majority have complete trust in science.

This is the point where the importance of art is highlighted because art reflects the values and perspectives on a culture while scientific innovations help define it. This is not to say that they both can't fulfill either role, with science reflecting the culture and art defining it.

The main idea is that art and science are two halves of a whole that need to be maintained and balanced in order for each half to properly and functionally exist. With no art, science would go untamed and ethical boundaries would be ignored rather than debated. With no science, art would chase its own tail as the culture which it draws its inspiration from would largely be stagnant.

A great example of art and science coexisting is Isaac Asimov's short story "The Last Question". Through a science fiction short story, the question of humanity's limitations and theology are questioned and explored.

Asimov, Isaac Next. "The Last Question -- Isaac Asimov." Multivax - How Can Entropy Be Reversed? Web. 05 Sept. 2010. .