double helix

PERFECTION CHALLENGED

An alpha empath, Danyael Sabre has survived abominations and super soldiers, terrorists and assassins, but he cannot survive his failing body. He wants only to live out his final days in peace, but life and the woman he loves, the assassin Zara Itani, have other plans for him. Galahad, the perfect human being created by Pioneer Labs, is branded an international threat, and Danyael is appointed his jury, judge, and executioner. Danyael alone believes that Galahad can be the salvation that the world needs, but is the empath blinded by the fact that Galahad shares his genes, and the hope that there is something of him in Galahad? In a desperate race against time and his own dying body, Danyael struggles to find fragments of good in the perfect human being, and comes to the wrenching realization that his greatest battle will be a battle for the heart of the man who hates him.

Hi everyone! It’s day 2 of the Blogger Book Fair and today I have a fascinating guest post about bioengineering by author, Jade Kerrion that some might find eye-opening. This is why I love science fiction. It makes you think. It makes you wonder about the future. If I had my way, I would genetically engineer a human with 6 arms, 4 legs and 3 penises. Why you ask? Why the heck not? Anyway, read on.

When it’s no longer science fiction – A peek behind the Double Helix

by Jade Kerrion

For the past several years, our attention has been consumed by faltering economies, unstable governments, an epidemic of bullying, and an explosion of social media. In the meantime, largely ignored by mainstream media, the genetic revolution marches on quietly and inexorably.

Let’s test your knowledge of bioengineering. Which of the following is true?

1. We used genetic engineering to create hybrid creatures, like the goat-sheep, and the camel-llama
2. We used genetic engineering to transfer bioluminescent genes from coral and deep-sea jellyfish to create glow-in-the-dark mice, cats, dogs, pigs, and monkeys
3. We cloned animals, including sheep, dogs, and horses
4. We used genetic engineering to create animals that excrete pharmaceutical products in their milk and other bodily fluids
5. We used genetic engineering to preserve endangered species, creating animals that possess the nuclear DNA of the endangered species, and the mitochondrial DNA of the host species…in effect, a genetic hybrid
6. We created bug-bots by implanting wires in the central nervous system of insects, and we can now control their movements, including flight
7. We created organic robots by implanting wires in the central nervous system of rats, and we can now control what they do
8. We wired a monkey to control a third artificial arm entirely through its brain wave
9. We genetically engineered rats with pliable skin in order to grow human organs (e.g., ear) under their skin for eventual transplant to a human
10.We used organic computer chips made out of rat neurons to control a flight simulator
11. We isolated a brain of a lamprey eel and placed it in a nutrient medium, surrounded by electrodes. The living, intact brain controls a machine that moves toward the light (in much the same way a lamprey eel moves toward the light)
12. We used a DNA synthesizer to create an artificial organic cell. (Isn’t that an oxymoron?) The computer is its parent Continue reading →