Weisman Chapters 2 and 3

In these two chapters, Weisman describes the ecological and climate changes that the structures of our civilization will undergo once humans are gone from this planet. In these chapters, he explains the scientific processes that different types of buildings, ranging from houses to skyscrapers to bridges, will go through. He also explains what the environment will look like, reverting back to its state before it was corrupted and mauled by humans for food, shelter, and even just aesthetics. He describes how the floral plants and the indigenous animals will interact with species introduced into the environment. As fascinating as all of this is, the reason that I kept reading through these chapters because of all the questions and ideas I had as I was going through them.
First of all, what did the environment of the country used to look like before humans? What did my house look like before it was a house? What came before us that is buried deep under the ground, or has been swallowed up by the sea and glaciers? Weisman says that palm date plants grow in the Amazon, and that is proof that others lived there, but that time and the weather have washed away all other evidence of their existence. Who were these people? Our own buildings and technology will crumble and disintegrate, and future inhabitants may have the same occurrence of finding floral non-indigenous to the local environment as proof that we existed, but none of our structures nor amazing feats of science will be left. Could civilizations long ago have had the technology and expertise of science as we have today? Planet Earth is a hostile entity, vicious storms, ground-shaking movements, if a person survives one catastrophic natural event, there will sure be another one to get through. Coupling that with climate change, and our society is in for hell. If we don’t survive it with our capability to adapt, there is no possible way that buildings will be able to.
Secondly, the article made me realize my own mortality. “Once humans are gone” is a scary phrase. That’s in relation to all people for generations to come; yet the author speaks of it as if it is so close. In all reality, it should be soon relative to Earth’s time, but whereas eighty years is half a blink of the eye to the Earth, it is a lifetime to me. I am on Earth for such a small percentage of the time that it has been here, that it is almost negligible. However, humanity is at a crossroads, what we do today, will ultimately determine how much longer humans will be around.
Lastly, what will the world become once we are gone? Will the Earth return to its pre-human state of wildlife, or have we ruined it beyond repair? Will any beings inhabit Earth after us, and if so, what will they be like? If I could have one wish, it would be to have a time machine, not to go back a couple hours or days and take back something that I said, but to see the distant past and distant future, what our world looked like, and what it will look like someday.

Reprogamming Cells

In this article, Gretchen Vogel describes the recent research and breakthroughs that are going on in the world of genetics. Doctors are now able to reprogram cells to perform different bodily functions in a matter of weeks. However, the road to achievements such as these has not been any easy one. At first, embryonic stem cells could be programmed to become any type of body cell, as long as they had not already begun to diversify from the other cells of the embryo. This raised many ethical and legal questions though, and it seemed as if stem cell research would come to a standstill. Then Japanese researchers developed iPS cells, induced pluripotent stem cells. These are cells that have already matured, and are able to be reprogrammed, with the insertion of only a small number of genes, to embryonic-like cells. American researchers built upon this research and were able to reprogram a cell to go directly from a mature cell of one type, to a mature cell of a different function.
However, there are many problems of reprogramming cells still to be resolved. The efficiency of these processes is terrible, and less than 1 in 10,000 cells can be reprogrammed. New research suggests that keratinocytes from skin cells provide a better course of action, because roughly 1% can be reprogrammed and only take days to mature instead of weeks. Yet, much more research must be done because 1% efficiency is still terrible. If my car engine was only 1% gas-efficient, I might shoot myself. This is a medical development that needs to be invested in because so many genetic diseases can be kept under control, if not all together nullified. Diseases such as Lou Gehrig’s disease and Type I diabetes would be more controllable, and not destroy the lives of so many. As with all medical technology and medications, there are risks and genetic altering therapy has many, including an increased risk of cancer. However, as more research is conducted, the risks will be minimized. I am also willing to bet that a good amount of people with these diseases will accept these risks and try the therapy if it will help their live and the lives of their loved ones.