Rarely do I watch TV. But tonight it was homework. My housemates endured a science documentary on medical sciene while I reviewed. Here it is:VISIONS OF THE FUTURE: THE BIOTECH REVOLUTIONAired on BBC Four
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
A clone of a clone. A cloney-clone, in the words of Texan longhorn cattle rancher Ron Marquess. It’s a chromosomal replica of his prize heifer and it’s coming to a farm near you – a genetic farm, that is.
Scientists can breed the perfect cow. Why not engineer the ideal human being?
We’ll start with the bladder.
Dr Michio Kaku, New York’s popular science author and futurist, explores the possibilities of biotechnology and genetics in the eerie but enlightening programme.
Test tube organs and stem cell marrow are among the medical advancements already prolonging human life. A genetically-farmed bladder is nourished under ultra violet light until it is needed to replace a worn and torn original. The same can be done for a heart, a lung, a liver.
The possibilities are as long as the large intestine, but how far will we go?
The question was brought to light as Dr Kaku among a host of scientists, ethicists and one radical trans-humanist debated the future of medical science.
The topic is profound and the programme was heavily scientific, but it centred on a number of thought provoking issues. Still, the gist of the drama is in the Pietre dish and Dr Kaku is no performer – unruffled by the gravity of his DNA forecast and barely moved at the mention of designer babies, the subdued researcher followed the script like the scientific method.
