Awesome Stuff You Have to Share, part 2: It Gets Awesomer!

[veekie]

Curing a degenerative genetic disorder completely?  Awesome beyond awesome.  And this isn't treat.  it's cure.  Like, fixing the actual genetic code cure.  Not a future hope with a new treatment, but has actually happened.  The kids they tried it on are now cured.

Hell yes, and I suspect, with that as a starting point, sickle cell and other genetic disorders can be fixed post-facto.

That's the plan.  Though do note: sickle cell is actually a beneficial mutation.  Kills malaria.  The problem comes from when you have two sickle cell alleles in your code, then you have the full disorder.  I don't think this works to correct that sort of thing, it's more of a "see genetic code segment, replace with this one".  If you assume all sickle cell is bad, then sure, but the mutation did arise for a beneficial reason.  For this, you're looking at diseases like....certain cancer risks, parkinsons, that one that makes you age really fast, various degenerative muscle disorders (maybe MS, not sure), that sort of thing.  Things it will almost certainly not cure: mental genetic disorders (autism, Tourrette's, that sort of thing) complex disorders (sickle cell, autism again), and disorders that drastically change genetic code (like Down's).  Also things that aren't actually genetic like FAS or something.

I've been following retro-viral therapy for a while now, and this stuff is just so exciting to see it work as well as it is.

Yes, it's a beneficial mutation, but no longer a necessary one in any country with healthcare sufficient to deploy gene therapy, since you could control malaria far more easily than sickle cell. It'd probably work best on those with hormone or other singular cell type expression problems, since you just need to update the relevant bits. So cancer is a long way off(it's a full body tendency), but sickle cell for example, only needs part of your bone marrow to be treated, in order to supply sufficient normal red blood cells to work.

[Necrosnoop110]

The 700 Club on Dungeons and Dragons
http://youtu.be/kDJ1UOpxjt4

[JohnnyMayHymn]

The 700 Club on Dungeons and Dragons
http://youtu.be/kDJ1UOpxjt4

So the dice determine movement? Like candy land? And you have to kill kids IRL to keep your character alive?
Idk what game that is, but it's more twisted than anything Gygax published...

[dman11235]

Curing a degenerative genetic disorder completely?  Awesome beyond awesome.  And this isn't treat.  it's cure.  Like, fixing the actual genetic code cure.  Not a future hope with a new treatment, but has actually happened.  The kids they tried it on are now cured.

Hell yes, and I suspect, with that as a starting point, sickle cell and other genetic disorders can be fixed post-facto.

That's the plan.  Though do note: sickle cell is actually a beneficial mutation.  Kills malaria.  The problem comes from when you have two sickle cell alleles in your code, then you have the full disorder.  I don't think this works to correct that sort of thing, it's more of a "see genetic code segment, replace with this one".  If you assume all sickle cell is bad, then sure, but the mutation did arise for a beneficial reason.  For this, you're looking at diseases like....certain cancer risks, parkinsons, that one that makes you age really fast, various degenerative muscle disorders (maybe MS, not sure), that sort of thing.  Things it will almost certainly not cure: mental genetic disorders (autism, Tourrette's, that sort of thing) complex disorders (sickle cell, autism again), and disorders that drastically change genetic code (like Down's).  Also things that aren't actually genetic like FAS or something.

I've been following retro-viral therapy for a while now, and this stuff is just so exciting to see it work as well as it is.

Yes, it's a beneficial mutation, but no longer a necessary one in any country with healthcare sufficient to deploy gene therapy, since you could control malaria far more easily than sickle cell. It'd probably work best on those with hormone or other singular cell type expression problems, since you just need to update the relevant bits. So cancer is a long way off(it's a full body tendency), but sickle cell for example, only needs part of your bone marrow to be treated, in order to supply sufficient normal red blood cells to work.

Point.  But on the cancer, say you have a genetic predisposition to breast cancer.  Target the breast tissue.  From what I can gather in that article, they are infecting a large swath of cells and putting them back in the body, so maybe you'll end up with a full body of corrected genes.

As for who it will affect more: I'm not sure this will, at least from a non-statistical view.  From a statistical view, I think it has much more to do with tendencies for certain diseases than anything else.

[veekie]

Noting also that due to the genetic causes of cancer, preventative gene treatment is itself a cancer risk owing to the chances of transcription errors. But there is a pretty wide spectrum of hormonal syndromes and hormonal insensitivity syndromes that can be corrected with this, so that's great.

[Jackinthegreen]

Something to note with the malaria subject:  Scientists have made a pill that if you take it, it will literally kill mosquitoes that bite you

[trappedslider]

http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/sci/diy-nerf-cannon-fires-targets-autonomously.html       

[dman11235]

Lego has been letting you do that for a while.  And yes, the robotics are awesome.  Someone put a nerf gun on a rover essentially.

[bhu]

http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/sci/diy-nerf-cannon-fires-targets-autonomously.html       

I need one of these, but preferably an automated M134.  Maybe a couple of them. 

[Amechra]

Electro-Jazz?

Yep.

[bhu]

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/07/15/godzilla-comic-con-2/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/DVD-News-Flash/183880418345097 scroll down to the godzilla statue

he's been eatin' twinkies...

[Kuroimaken]

So, it's four degrees Celsius outside, and it's windy. I'm returning from work, wearing a suit shirt and jeans. No coat.

Some random guy asks me, "Dude, wtf, aren't you cold?!"

To which I stop, point to the skies, and proclaim:

"Of COURSE not! The soul of a TRUE man burns in flame!"

[Kethrian]

In Canada, that's still T-shirt weather!

[Jackinthegreen]

It is a good day when you can find the mates to at least one subset of socks.  In my case I found all my thermal socks and then put them together where they belong.

[altpersona]

took my boy to play paintball today for his birthday...

shot him in the throat   

[bhu]

Bad alt!

[dman11235]

In Canada, that's still T-shirt weather!

Same here.  But I get odd looks..

At Kuro: Where are you in Brazil?  Are you south?  I thought you were up north for some reason, so I was confused that it got that cold...But still, you are lucky.  I hate the heat, and wish it could range in temp from 70 down to 20, or for the Celsius people 25 down to -5.

[Kuroimaken]

I'm south, yeah.

And there are tons of people complaining, but I just call them pussies.

What makes the weather feel horrible around here is that the town is pretty humid and the wind is merciless. Otherwise it's not as cold as it feels.

[dman11235]

Yeah, me too.  Cold is your friend.  Hot is horrible.  I really hate IN too, because it gets hot and humid more often than not.  Wind is terrible...

[Kuroimaken]

Basically, I can tell how cold it REALLY is if my breath condenses. Otherwise I know it's the wind.

And I agree. Hate hot weather. I hate getting sweaty.