Daily Archives: March 1, 2017

Forget Mammoths, We Could Bring Dinosaurs and Neanderthals … – Futurism

Posted: March 1, 2017 at 8:40 pm

In Brief

The scientific world was set ablazeof late as discussions ramped up aboutthe resurrection of the wholly mammoth. I know what youre thinking: Jurassic Park. Well, not quite but maybe not that far off, either. In an interview with Big Think,Dr. Michio Kaku, professor of theoretical physics at the City College of New York, wonders: what if we could clone the Neanderthal, or a dinosaur, based solely off their genomes?

It is a plausible question.George Church, geneticistand director of Harvard Universitys Church Labs, believes that we can clone a Neanderthal in our lifetime. So much so that he thinks all we need is one extremely adventurous human female. While he doesnt advocate for the project to be attempted straight away,he does encourage discussion on the matter. Church believes that with current stem cell technology and our completed sequence of the Neanderthal genome, we are equipped with thepotential to clone a Neanderthal.

The Neanderthals went extinct tens of thousands of years ago, so cloning one from recovered DNA would be impressive enough of a feat but what about something from 65 million years ago? Dr. Kaku addresses this, admitting that cloning a dinosaurwont be as easy ascloning a Neanderthal or a mammoth (which wouldntvery easy to begin with) but that doesnt mean its impossible.

Dr. Kakunotes thatproteins found within the soft tissues of recovered dinosaur femursresemble those of chickens, frogs, and reptiles confirm the theory of their relation. He posits that through theuse of a supercomputer, a genetic sequence could be produced, which would create theoretical potential for cloning through epigenetics.

When it comes to cloning mammoths or dinosaurs, the limitations are mostly technical at this point. With Neanderthals, however, theres an addition element: ethics.Dr. Kaku asks important questions about what scientists would doafter bringing a Neanderthal child to life: Should he or she be placed in captivity like some kind of zoo animal? Would they face a lifetime of study?What if the Neanderthal is naturally aggressive should it be drugged or confined at all times? Many bioethicists debate the ethics of de-extinction, but there are also those thattout genetic diversity.Others believe the act is far too inhumane to even attempt.

Listen to Dr. Kakus argument below and decide where you stand on the should-we-or-shouldnt-we of prehistoric cloning.

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Forget Mammoths, We Could Bring Dinosaurs and Neanderthals ... - Futurism

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‘Strategic 4Sight’ collaboration to path Omaha’s future – KETV Omaha

Posted: at 8:40 pm

OMAHA, Neb.

The Greater Omaha Chamber, United Way of the Midlands and Urban League of Nebraska launched a collaboration Tuesday called Strategic 4Sight.

The three groups hired a futurist, Rebecca Ryan, with NEXT Generation Consulting out of Madison, Wisconsin. Through a series of workshops, Ryan will help identify where Omahas headed in the next 20 years and how to ensure a strong future in areas like economic growth, poverty and diversity.

Do some trend research. Try and figure out those things that are probably going to be happening over the next 20 years that will impact us as a community or impact the economy, David Brown, with the Greater Omaha Chamber, said. We have to figure out if those are really things that are going to be important to us and how were going to respond.

The three organizations hope by collaborating, theyll be able to put their minds together and focus on different issues.

"Some of them might fall in education, some of them might fall in race relations, some of them might fall in alleviating poverty, Brown said. So, areas where [the Greater Omaha Chamber doesnt] have mission, but United Way and Urban League do."

Ryan will present her findings in November. Before that happens, young professionals and community members are encouraged to attend workshops and give their input.

Ryan said Omaha is the first community to hire a resident futurist.

"We can be a receptive or a receiver of change, or we can be a causer of change, Brown said. I think this futurist piece enables us to kind of wake up in the morning and realize we're going to think about what's happening down the road. We're going to be prepared for it or we're going to cause it to happen."

The first workshop will focus on nonprofit leaders and is taking place at the Greater Omaha Chamber from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you wish to attend, you must register by contacting the chamber.

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'Strategic 4Sight' collaboration to path Omaha's future - KETV Omaha

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