otherwise you have seriously misread my comments. i do not advocate stifling research – independent research especially. i think the article that was linked to in the main post is stupid fear mongering (because of the focus on non-phds etc). i do, however, recognize that there are very real risks involved and i do advocate for sensible regulations. i think that making people eat untested, unlabeled food they don’t want to, or releasing genetically engineered (germline) organisms into the environment without the involvement of and oversight by the public and environmentalists (oops, they’re scientists too!) is just plain nuts.

as for suggesting i’m a science-phobe, i don’t know what to say other than you have it exactly wrong. i madly passionately love science – the process, the intellectual adventure, the thrill of discovery and the joy of making a difference in people’s lives. i’ve loved it to the point of obsession. i suppose there is no reason for you to believe me but there it is.

And in any case the accomplishment claimed in the article you linked (government scientists modifying an extant virus to make it more dangerous) is worlds away from a garage DYIer developing some new form of hollywood fueled cross species evil gene therapy as you originally posited.

And guess what? Government researchers with enormous budgets can make really scary weapons. Using everything from physics to chemistry to psychology to…who knows, maybe even astronomy.

But that doesn’t even begin to be a credible reason for wanting to stifle independent research–in fact, if you think about it, it’s a good reason for wanting to encourage private researchers.

Unless you’re just a Bush-level science-phobe, you may want to rethink your position and learn a little about the subject before you jump on the “private individuals learning how to do things without corporate approval, oh my!” bandwagon.

–MarkusQ

But MolBio is just the latest science to get Terrorist added to its warning label.

“Garage chemistry used to be a rite of passage for geeky kids. But in their search for terrorist cells and meth labs, authorities are making a federal case out of DIY science.”
http://www.wired.com/wired/arc…..istry.html

Is it absurd that a bioterrorist working out of a home lab could turn you into a human-fly chimera? Yes, that’s pretty absurd. People die when they’re given an organ donation from a closely matched subject without huge doses of immunosuppressant. I think your white blood cells would have something to say about the new proboscis you’re growing :D

dude, if you had a clue what you were talking about you would know the difference between the development of self tolerance and the immune response to an hla mismatched organ transplant in a mature individual. if you are interested, i suggest one of these.

Is it absurd that a talented and very well funded researcher with access to a lot of pricey equipment could, in fact, make a more lethal disease? No.

Is it absurd that a bioterrorist working out of a home lab could turn you into a human-fly chimera? Yes, that’s pretty absurd. People die when they’re given an organ donation from a closely matched subject without huge doses of immunosuppressant. I think your white blood cells would have something to say about the new proboscis you’re growing :D

I just fail to see why so many on the Left, and on this site in particular, have such virulent hatred of biotechnology. It’s irrational. You get so much vitriol over genetically modifying a plant so that, say, it could grow in more arid soil or use a less dangerous herbicide, and then the very same people will be absolutely livid (correctly, I think) over religiously motivated restriction of stem-cell research.

As for the frankenfood label, you can do as you like of course, but it just looks childish, IMHO. No better than when the right insists on calling doctors ‘abortionists’ or the Pope makes an asinine comment comparing gay rights to burning the rainforest.

in the same way being in favor of sensible regulations in the areas of food safety or environmental protection is not anti-science.

the fear mongering in the story is joke – because they’re worried about non-phd types working on their own. i think it’s great that people are able to do this on their own (without working at a corporation, university or gov lab) and i think that sensible regulations should apply equally in all cases – i just think think the risks are far greater from what is being done gov and private labs. and that the risks are real.

oh, and i love the frankenfood label and intend to use it until monsanto et al stop lobbying against sensible regulations.