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New Cell-To-Cell Communication Process Could Revolutionize Bioengineering
Zothecula writes "The internet has revolutionized global communications and now researchers at Stanford University are looking to provide a similar boost to bioengineering with a new process dubbed "Bi-Fi." The technology uses an innocuous virus called M13 to increase the complexity and amount of information that can be sent from cell to cell. The researchers say the Bi-Fi could help bio-engineers create complex, multicellular communities that work together to carry out important biological functions."
Am I the only one who sees this in the first 3 minutes of a movie, followed by a scene with a caption "6 months later...".
I'm a satanic clam.
...was one of the technologies in Greg Bear's Blood Music that gave rise to super intelligent cells.
Hope it works better than Bluetooth.
Except perhaps, a population of schizoid zombies, giant mutant blue babies, or and army of 4-armed, forewarned lawyers.
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
Sounds dangerous.
Now we are going to have spam at the cellular level
I've been using Bi-Fi for a few decades now.
It's just another name for the mid-range frequencies of your typical Gaydar.
its been done
*We* created the Descolada Virus.
With a name like "Bi-Fi", and an article summary that includes the phrase "Bi-Fi could help bio-engineers create complex, multicellular communities that work together to carry out important biological functions", I knew immediately that this technology was created in California.
The russian versions are malware, and will reprogram your dna to send them your banking info.
The greatest right given is the right to be wrong...
Honestly, I'll wait until I hear something about research from Stanford. Standford isn't nearly as reputable, IMO.
How does this work in the metal foil wrapper?
Are they made from beef or pork?
Zombie apocalypse in 3... 2... 1...
Sounds... like the same things we've been doing with designer viruses for decades. Unless they've got additional material they've developed to facilitate direct transmission of DNA from one cell to another or mastered a process whereby continual production can be done without threat to the host or in a manner that can be easily extinguished I don't see what it is that they've added other than a term "Bi-Fi" (which is a cute term, I admit). Not knocking on the idea, it's just not clear what's new about it.
So this is a good reason to commit to a manned mission to Mars, and permanent habitation on the Moon.
Bear with me. I am not advocating doing this on either celestial body.
First, a manned mission to Mars will teach us a lot about long-term operations in space, and this will come in handy.
Second, permanent presence on the Moon will teach us more about long-term operations, handy in this scenario:
- From the Moon, build a flying lab. In this lab, we can do long-term research into such genetics and biology.
- If something bad happens, we will let the lab complete its flight into the Sun. While it's flying to oblivion, we can further study the problem.
- When it reaches the Sun, our best available incinerator kills all. Hopefully we isolated the attendants, so they don't have to be sent to oblivion also.
None of this needs to touch Earth, or Mars, or really the Moon. For all I know, low to zero gravity is a benefit, but generating gravity is fairly simple, I think. Keeping the nasties from repopulating the Earth against our wishes, less so.I'll fix the gravity problem rather than the containment problem.
And I suspect there may be issues with containment in space also, so we have that to consider, but where do you want to fight that fight? On Long Island, or between Venus and the Sun?
SO, are such experiments worth a trillon or so, to start?
deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
Welcome our new viral overlords!
My
Leave it up to Stanford to create a new standard for Gaydar.
What could possibly go wrong?
If you know the song, you know what I mean.
I knew a Bi-Fag once. He preferred men a bit more than women.
I foresee a trademark process, unless their method involves a mini-salami. :-)
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
ALA Walkie Talkie
Let's make a virus that replace the section on chromosome 1 for HMG-CoA-synthase synthesis with .. lol anything (what would we care)
and then infect these fucks with it. HMG-CoA-synthase is a very central enzyme, the lack of which will cause a miserable death in a fairly
short amount of time, I would guess a week tops. It is needed among other things for Q10 and Cholesterol synthesis so we'll shut them
down pretty much completely, no steroid hormone synthesis no fucking ATP synthesis in their mitochondriae I really love the idea.
On the other hand I got a metal dog leash and a small crowbar, I could wrap the leash over the top of their heads and their jaws and then
use the crowbar to" garrote" them until their jaws break.
For real what these fucks are screwing around with is top dangerous to the rest of us, I also got the idea that some of them need knee surgery
I would love to remove their kneecaps and implant them under their chest muscles.
This sounds exactly like the technique used by renegade biochemist Vergil Ulam in Greg Bear's Blood Music. The Wikipedia article does not mention the fact that the protagonist's bio-engineered creations used tame viruses to communicate. It's always funny how science fiction becomes science fact; I just hope we do not make the same mistakes.
M13 phage isn't new. And this mode of "communication" is called phage infection.
Bi-Fi?? Talk about hype! M13 particles still diffuse real slow!