Sunday, May 23, 2010

Economist Article "And Man Made Life" May 20th 2010

Synthetic biology, "And man made life"
Artificial life, the stuff of dreams and nightmares, has arrived May 20th 2010
Found at: http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=16163154

Comment also found in Economist Article Comment Area:

Mobbet (WIntelAgency's Pen Name) wrote: May 23rd 2010 2:07 GMT


Being complex adaptive vs. clever is the big question: We always get caught into our own cleverness (being able to recognize our achievements, cleverness of invention for making short term survival easier, mimicking our planetary functions for what we believe is more efficiency). We find ourselves so much more caught today into our cleverness that sometimes I wonder if we may have blinded ourselves to what the accomplishments (by-products of cleverness) really set in motion (i.e., short term satisfaction monetarily, prestige wise, or pleasure wise); wherein we are unable to recognize the long-term effects possibly baring out ecologically destructive reactions to our very survivability. Is our cleverness primarily working today for short term vs. the long term balance and sustenance needed for the ecosystem?

Autonomy and Human limits, what and where are the limits with what we do with our ecosystem?

Co-evolution: All systems appear to exist within their own environment and they are also part of that environment. Therefore, as the environment changes they need to adapt to ensure best fit. But because they are part of their environment, when they adapt, they effect change on their environment, and as it changes they need to re adapt, and so it goes on as a continual process.

Some people draw distinctions between complex adaptive systems and complex evolving systems. Where the former continuously adapt to the changes around them but do not learn from the process. And where the latter learn and evolve from each change enabling them to maintain balance in their environment, better predict likely changes in the future, and prepare for them accordingly.

Will these new lifeforms be complex evolving?