Bioengineering
HEGE Series
I am... making clear what Man’s conquest of Nature really means and especially that final stage in the conquest, which, perhaps, is not far off. The final stage is come when Man by eugenics, by pre-natal conditioning, and by an education and propaganda based on a perfect applied psychology, has obtained full control over himself. Human nature will be the last part of Nature to surrender to Man. The battle will then be won. We shall have ‘taken the thread of life out of the hand of Clotho’ and be henceforth free to make our species whatever we wish it to be. The battle will indeed be won. But who, precisely, will have won it? ... — C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man See Anthropology — Anthropology of Antichristianity: The Age of Desire (Part 6)
For the Health of Body and Soul: An Eastern Orthodox Introduction to Bioethics
Professor Wesley Smith - Bioethics: Creating a Culture of Death
Artificial life | Wikipedia
A mouse embryo has been grown in an artificial womb—humans could be next
Human-Pig Hybrid Created in the Lab: Scientists hope the chimera embryos represent key steps toward life-saving lab-grown organs.
World's First Test-Tube Puppies Are Born
Test Tube Pigs are Now a Reality
Why Bill Gates is betting on a start-up that prints synthetic DNA
Could synthetic fish be a better catch of the day?
Luana Maroja on the ideological threat to biology
Crispr
Crispr Creator Jennifer Doudna on the Promises—and Pitfalls—of Easy Genetic Modification
Crispr inventor worries about the unintended consequences of gene editing
Uh-Oh, Scientists Used Human Genes to Make Monkey Brains Bigger
How Real Is Genetic Engineering in Sci-Fi?
Genetically engineered humans will arrive sooner than you think. And we're not ready.
Synthia
Craig Venter | Wikipedia
J. Craig Venter Institute | Wikipedia
Scientist accused of playing God after creating artificial life by making designer microbe from scratch - but could it wipe out humanity?
The Mysterious Thing About a Marvelous New Synthetic Cell
ETC Group monitoring power, tracking technology, strengthening diversity
Patenting Pandora’s Bug: Goodbye, Dolly...Hello, Synthia!
Synthia Gets a Shotgun - Goodbye genetic engineering?
Synthia is Alive ... and Breeding: Panacea or Pandora's Box? This is the quintessential Pandora’s box moment - like the splitting of the atom or the cloning of Dolly the sheep. We will all have to deal with the fall-out from this alarming experiment. — Jim Thomas, ETC Group The Men and Money Behind Synthia Spencer Abraham Hamilton O. Smith Barry Schuler Steve Jurvetson Alfonso Romo Justin Adams J. Craig Venter Tam Shri Lim Kok Thay David Kiernan Clyde Hutchinson Juan Enriquez Ari Patrinos
Blade Runner
Replicants (androids) more human than humans —
Blade Runner | Wikipedia
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep | Wikipedia
Blade Runner (1982) Playlist | YouTube
Blade Runner - Story Explanation and Analysis | YouTube
Blade Runner By David Morgan
Power and Perception in Ridley Scotts Blade Runner
Tears in rain? Why Blade Runner is timeless
Your Complete Guide to Analysing Blade Runner: Summary, Context, Characters & Themes
“Roy Batty
Roy is one of Tyrell’s replicants who travelled to Earth to demand Tyrell extend their lifespans. Desperate to live a full life, Roy uses cold-blooded violence to meet his needs, yet ultimately, he is not a straight-cut villain.
In the final moments before his death, Roy saves Deckard and delivers a poignant monologue expressing his humanity, in which he comes to terms with the purposelessness of his life.
Eldon Tyrell
Head of the Tyrell Corporation, Tyrell’s company is the mastermind behind genetically engineering the Nexus 6 replicants for slave labour. Proudly declaring the ethos that replicants are ‘more human than human’, Tyrell meets his end after Roy confronts him about their limited lifespan.
Directed by Ridley Scott in 1982, ‘Blade Runner’ is set in the dystopian future of 2019 — yep, you heard me right! Depicting a futuristic, overpopulated and heavily polluted vision of Los Angeles, ‘Blade Runner’ sets the scene of corporatisation and technological advancements run rampant....
In mixing the dark detective narrative with a dystopian futuristic society, ‘Blade Runner’ illustrates how the technological revolution of the 1980s transformed the values of Western culture....
As one of the most influential science fiction films of the 20th century, Blade Runner captures the concerns of expanding globalisation and multiculturalism, particularly of the East, during 1980s America. In particular, the demographics of the 1980s indicate large immigrant Chinese populations and was a time where China was a rising economic power in the West.
A significant visual aspect of Blade Runner is its depiction of hybrid urban landscapes lined with giant billboards of commercial advertisements and East Asian imagery. The consumer-driven society of the film reflects the fears of monopolistic corporations dominating the economy and the commodification of people....
The religious allusion of Tyrell and Roy’s relationship as that of the biblical Father and Son is demonstrated when Tyrell refers to Roy as “the prodigal son” in response to his demand for more life. The symbolic parallel of Roy to the prodigal son is ironically fitting as, unlike his biblical counterpart, he returns not for forgiveness but for revenge as a fallen angel. The metaphor of Tyrell as the “God of Biomechanics” juxtaposes natural and artificial life and highlights the cold-hearted morality of the Master against the replicants enslavement.”