SCOTT@GACVAX1.BITNET (Scott Hess) (04/05/89)
From Henry Spencer: >>>It is also an unproven conjecture that advanced biotechnology will be >>>needed to deal with the immune-system problem. There might be some >>>simple fix. >> >>But will we know what that fix is without advanced biotechnology? ... > >Plain, ordinary medical research may well suffice. Note, I'm not saying >that it *will*, just that it is an exaggeration to say that we *need* >advanced biotechnology for it. I agree with this, but my question is - What is advanced biotechnology, then? I suppose one could argue that ALL advanced biotechnology was ordinary medical research, at some time or another. Same with most other subjects. I would call anything that helps astrounauts (or cosmonauts) to survive in space pretty advanced. I would doubt if its something extremely simple. The Col Fusion in Utah thing is NOT ordinary medical research, either, so that can't be used to say it may be very simple. Not to say it won't. Of course, if it is something very simple - how are we to find out? We really haven't got the time or space for experiments which we can't give a good reason why they'd work. If you went out to try a year ago to try to get money to research the possibility of fusion induced by pallidium absorbtion, I don't think you'd have gotten the money. Same thing here. Until we can throw up alot more "borderline" experiments, we probably won't see any simple procedures to guard against immuno-whatever problems. Scott Hess, <Scott@gacvax1.bitnet>