[ RadSafe ] Genetic Engineering, Evolution etc.

[JPreisig at aol.com]

Hey Radsafe,
 
    From:    _jpreisig at aol.com_ (mailto:jpreisig at aol.com)        .
 
 
    Hope your weekend is a bit dryer than what is going on  here in New 
Jersey (USA).
    Rain and flooding are occuring here and I expect rain  will continue 
all night.
    Hurricane Irene has killed people in North Carolina and  Virginia.  Not 
good.
 
 
          I suspect a more  general model for human and animal 
growth/development would include
    genetic engineering  (by Human's, Space  Aliens, the Lord etc.) and 
perhaps some form of human
    evolution (from apes and/or early man).  I  guess evolution could also 
occur for some animal,
    and organism groups.  My paleontologist friends  would probably give me 
problems down the line
    eventually if I totally negate human evolution.  I  always kind of 
suspected that human evolution
    from apes or early man was real.
 
         Evolution could be  assisted, unassisted, designed etc.
 
     Genetic (direct) engineering appears to be fairly  discrete (not 
necessarily continuous).
     Certain animals are created genetically without  evolution.  I'm not 
saying mutations couldn't occur.
     Mutations do occur.  
 
           Evolution of  man and perhaps other animals is rather continuous 
(not necessarily  discrete).
     Discreteness versus continuous behavior may have  implications for 
math modelling of these
     phenomena.  Causality may be important  also.  Causality may be quite 
difficult to prove
     rigorously.
 
           On a related  topic, we humans (and medical doctors and 
researchers and  technicians)
      are getting real close to being able to  severely treat and/or limit 
disease and production of
      birth defects.
 
       Processes involved:
 
       1. Genetic Screening --- keep bad  genetic effects from going 
forward in newborn individual
                                           humans.
 
       2.   Lab Grown and  donated body organs  --- grow body organs and 
fix/replace failing  body
              organs.
 
        3.    Do gene  therapy to help patients with diseases and difficult 
symptoms.
 
        4.    Treat  Cancer via surgery, laser burning/removal of 
tissue/cancers, chemotherapy,
                radiation therapy etc.
 
        5.    Use  aspirin, HCl compounds, blood thinners, anti-clotting 
drugs to keep veins,  arteries
                etc. from clotting.
 
        6.    Any other  ideas???
 
      Sorry if I am stepping on any toes by  presenting ideas from biology, 
radiation etc.textbooks
      already published..  I don't do much in  the way of literature 
searches usually.  Also my education is
      fairly long ago now and TV leads me to ideas  also; it is difficult 
for me to always remember
      specifically where/when I  learned what.  My background is Rutgers 
Physics, Rutgers Health
      Physics, SUNY/Binghamton Geology/Geophysics,  some time spent at 
Goddard Space Center
      (NASA/Maryland, USA), a summer spent at  the Colorado School of Mines 
(Health Physics/
      Digital Electronics, time at Brookhaven Lab  etc.
 
           Let's be  careful out there!!!!
 
            Regards,    Joseph R. (Joe) Preisig, PhD
 
.