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Scientists Plan to Create Synthetic Human Genomes

May 16, 2016 By Troy G. Bennett

It seems that scientists plan to create synthetic human genomes.

It seems that scientists plan to create synthetic human genomes. A secret meeting was held on the 10^th of May at Harvard University. People from the media were not invited and attendees were asked to not say a word about what was spoken

On Tuesday, about 150 researchers met at Harvard University in great secrecy. Because of this, people were quick to raise ethical question. Rumors about the goal of such a meeting started to pile up immediately, and controversy arose. But George Church, one of the people who organized the conference, says that it is misrepresented. Church says that the meeting was planned to be recorded, even live-streamed. However, because of an unpublished article, the scientists decided to keep it a secret. But ethical considerations have always been discussed, even from the project’s inception state. The main goal of the project is not to create human genomes.

Yet how opened are scientists to this kind of work? Drew Endy from Stanford University, for example, was invited to the meeting, but did not attend. Endy stated that he chose not to accept the invitation because of the few people invited and lacking information regarding the ethical considerations. If even a researcher puts to doubt the motives behind the meeting, what can the general public believe?

Through synthetic genomes, scientists can modify the DNA. This is done by introducing foreign genes. This practice is common in the pharmaceutical industry, in the manufacturing of medicine. But being able to synthesize an entire genome could mean that experts can make further alteration in DNA.

But the main challenge in synthetic genomics is ethics, because the technology allows researchers to modify human embryos. Apart from this, it is also prone to errors.

Is it true that scientists plan to create synthetic human genomes, or is it just that some people like to create controversy? The secrecy behind the project might lead us into thinking that it is a real possibility, but the ethical issue has always been raised, even in the field of research. Can it be that scientists are planning on playing God?

IMAGE SOURCE: Youtube

Religion can be a Matter of Brain Wiring

March 28, 2016 By Angelina Stapp

A team of neuroscientists proved that both religion and science are matters of brain wiring.

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Perhaps one of the oldest dilemmas out there is whether the world is governed by the laws of physics or if religion got it right in the first place. A team of neuroscientists analyzed both perspectives and concluded that religion and science are associated with different parts of the human brain.

Since the dawn of time, man has often wondered whether all that surrounds him was the work of a higher being. Greek mythology has created an intricate pantheon of gods and goddesses, each of them chipping in to shape the physical world.

As science won more ground in the face of religion, the scientist often wondered if one can honestly dismiss the immutable laws of nature such as light or magnetism to seek answers elsewhere. Maybe the thought of being alone in the Universe, of having to fade into nothingness, frightened the mind and baffled our senses.

Man perhaps wanted a sense of order and security. A higher figure, one that sees and knows everything, gave humankind comfort. But science often argued that the mere thought of an invisible puppeteer, moving things to and fro through the air seemed preposterous, at best.

And now, after centuries of debates, centered on the conflict between religion and science, a team of researchers has come with an answer to our most burning question. Shall we put our trust in science or shall blindly follow in the footsteps of God?

Science said that God, like all concepts, has its origin in the human brain. An experiment performed on 527 female, and male adults has revealed that the refusal to believe and to believe in God has unique brain triggers.

More specifically, the team has discovered that religious persons are more inclined to favor that part of the brain which is attributed to empathy while those who are agnostic or atheists prefer the analytical part of the brain.

The study, which was published in the Plos One journal, stated that women tend to be more religious than men, and that, regarding brain chemistry, religion may not, altogether exclude the possibility of reasoning.

Moreover, the team of researchers has discovered that the more sensitive an individual is, the more he or she is inclined to be religious. Also, when a person believes in a higher power, his or hers brain usually suppresses the brain are attributed to analytical thinking.

On the other hand, those who are agnostic and atheists, usually have the same amount of empathy as psychopaths, meaning that they don’t usually care for other people.

However, the brain isn’t considered a masterwork for nothing. Although it appears to be a very distinct line between logical thinking and faith, some of the best scientists have often confessed that they believe in a higher being.

Professor Tony Jack, from the Case Western Reserve University and the lead author of the study declared that both concepts are a matter of brain wiring, and one may not exclude the other.

Photo credits:wikipedia

German Researchers Beamed in Classical Information

March 7, 2016 By Clayton Meason

The University of Jena was recently the host of a Star Trek-inspired experiment.

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Popular science-fiction shows like Star Trek have always attracted fans from all over the world by making science look cooler. This kind of shows also proved that with a little imagination and a lot of know-how, transforming science fiction into science fact is a piece of cake. A team of German researchers proved just that after they’ve successfully beamed in classical information.

At the time, the classic TV show aired everyone believed that stuff like flip-phones, automatic doors, video calls, energy shield and tractor beams are fiction and nothing else. Well, it would seem that, over the years, science and scientists managed to turn some of these gizmos into reality.

Now almost every market and store are equipped with an automatic door, and everyone can enjoy HQ video calls from the comfort of their smartphones. And now, it seems that we are getting closer to developing beaming technology. Or pretty close.

Professor Doctor Alexander Szameit is a renowned physicist working at the University of Jena in Germany. Apart from being as astute physics teacher and researcher, the professor is also a science-fiction fan. On some occasions, Szameit likes to say that the things we’ve seen in Star Trek are gradually becoming reality.

And now, he and his team, are on the verge of writing a new chapter in the book of quantum physics. Recently, the science-fiction aficionado and his team of researchers managed to trigger a localized teleportation phenomenon. Thus, the team managed to prove that teleportation is possible, but under very strict condition.

The whole process rests on a relatively new concept called quantum teleportation. This concept is known for some time now, but this is the first time someone managed to experiment with it.

Now, as professor Szameit explains it, the team was able to teleport only elementary particle like electrons and light particles, which also happens to carry classical information. Szameit explained that thanks to the delocalized state of this particle (a particle can be in two places at once), teleportation between two sites was possible without any loss of information or time.

The experiment performed by the scientists at the University of Jena demonstrated that the properties of quantum particles can be transmitted in the classical world. Now, by using a highly specialized laser beam, the scientist managed to entangle (encode) several light particles.

By using this technique, the scientists successfully teleported information encoded in the laser light’s polarization direction to the shape of laser flux. Szameit said that currently, this process only works locally and that the team still has much work to do before they can begin teleporting another object over long distances.

However, even though the process only functions over small distances, the information is transmitted instantaneously and without any loss.

It seems that we have to wait around some more for phaser banks, energy shields and Data.

Photo credits:flickr

Scientific Paper Quoted God as Factor

March 6, 2016 By Angelina Stapp

A paper published in the PLOS One online journal argued that the human hand conforms with God’s design.

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Although we, as a society, have evolved to a point where we can quickly discard any supernatural intervention in nature, it seems that there are a few among us who would base entire theories upon the Hand of God. Recently, a scientific paper quoted God as a factor, for a theory regarding the biomechanical evolution of the human hands.

One could say that the scientific community isn’t so fond of religion. Even Stephen Hawking said in a press interview that God is just an aberration of the human mind, a figment of our collective imagination. Moreover, the senior physicist also encouraged many US schools to drop religions from their curriculum, arguing that school should rather concentrate on facts.

As the whole country is stirring over the Hand of God vs. Science debate, it would seem that there are a couple of scientific minds who tend to believe that God can be used as a foundation for many scientific theories.

There is one incident that managed to stir the whole scientific community. Not very long ago, the PLOS One, a prestigious scientific journal published a work on the evolution of the human hand. The work was called:

“Biomechanical Characteristics of Hand Coordination in Grasping Activities of Daily Living.”

The title would suggest a very rigorous and passionless approach to the theory of evolution, specifically how human hands evolved to the point where it could grasp objects. But upon reviewing the paper, the reader would find itself in front of an argument that seems somehow misplaced.

When discussing the muscles involved in hand movement, the author(s,) of the study declared that our hands can hold object thanks to the ingenuity of the Creator. Moreover, it would seem that this was not an isolated event. The authors were attributing several another phenomenon to God’s handiwork.

Naturally, this approach stirred rage among the scientific community. Moreover, several scientists declared that the paper was a sham and accused the authors of religious superstition.

Furthermore, one reader wrote PLOS One’s editorial board a letter in which he stated that he will cancel his subscription because the journal is now promoting religion-based absurdities.

Besieged by several complaints from the various scientific circles, the publication had no choice but to retract the so-called scientific article and to convey their formal apologies in an open letter addressed to its subscribers.

In this letter, the publication said that some aspects of the report were not submitted to rigorous evaluation. Moreover, in this letter, the paper also disclosed the names of the scientists who wrote the article. According to PLOS One, three of the authors were from the Huazhong University and one of them Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

The debate whether or not God is out there still rages on, with solid arguments on both sides.

Photo credits:youtube

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