Questions? Email: drkdkruse@hotmail.com or Facebook: kevan kruseMissed a class? DVD’s are available after class or online at: http://crossingonline.org/signs-of-the-times

For This Study We Need The Right Attitude: Acts 17:11These were nobler than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. KJV

Luke 21:28 - When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

Trans-HumanismThe point at which humans take their evolution into their own hands and transform themselves into higher forms (gods) by genetically engineering elevated levels of mental, physical and spiritual perceptions. Their capabilities may bring them to the point that they may not even die. This is all made possible by technological advancements in examining, splicing, and designing DNA, which is the language/words/codes of life itself.

Tran humanism an international cultural and intellectual movement with an eventual goal of fundamentally transforming the human condition by developing and making widely available technologies to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities.[1] Tran humanist thinkers study the potential benefits and dangers of emerging technologies that could overcome fundamental human limitations, as well as study the ethical matters involved in developing and using such technologies. They predict that human beings may eventually be able to transform themselves into beings with such greatly expanded abilities as to merit the label "post human".[1]The contemporary meaning of the term Tran humanism was foreshadowed by one of the first professors of futurology, FM-2030, who taught "new concepts of the Human" at The New School in the 1960s, when he began to identify people who adopt technologies, lifestyles and worldviews transitional to "post humanity" as "transhumant".[2] This hypothesis would lay the intellectual groundwork for the British philosopher Max More to begin articulating the principles of Tran humanism as a futurist philosophy in 1990, and organizing in California an intelligentsia that has since grown into the worldwide Tran humanist movement.[2] [3] [4] Influenced by seminal works of science fiction, the Tran humanist vision of a transformed future humanity has attracted many supporters and detractors from a wide range of perspectives.[2]Tran humanism has been

characterized by one critic, Francis Fukuyama, as among the world's most dangerous ideas,[5] to which Ronald Bailey countered that it is rather the "movement that epitomizes the most daring, courageous, imaginative, and idealistic aspirations of humanity".[6]

The promise of Trans-Humanism is that a new man will immerge. A man created in the image of his own choosing, but will it be human?

We Address These Genetic Issues: Animal Cloning, Genetically Modified Crops, Human Genetic Engineering, Stem Cell Research, Genetic Engineering in Animals and Human-Animal Hybrid Research

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Human-Animal Hybrid ResearchAt least two U.S. states -- Arizona and Louisiana -- have passed laws banning human-animal hybrids, and though these have provided fodder for some satirists, they are actually based in reality. Human-animal hybrids are already here. In 2004, scientists at the famed Mayo Clinic produced pigs that had human blood. The previous year, Chinese scientists bonded human cells to rabbit eggs, though the embryos were soon destroyed [source: Mott].These sorts of combinatory specimens are called chimeras, calling to mind the mythical Greek creature composed of a lion's head, goat's body and snake's tail. However, don't expect to see centaurs -- horses with human torsos -- roaming your neighborhood anytime soon. Most human-animal hybrid research focuses on less dramatic experiments, such as adding a few human genes to a pig to produce better heart valves for transplant into humans (a procedure that's long been a standard medical practice). Still, many bioethicists, and some lawmakers, worry that we are crossing a line, tampering unnecessarily with animals or not setting adequate standards for what should and should not be done.A National Ban?In 2009, Senator Sam Brownback proposed the Human-Animal Hybrid Protection Act, but it has yet to be considered by the full Senate.12 bizarre examples of genetic engineeringGlow-in-the-dark cats? It may sound like science fiction, but they’ve been around for years. Cabbages that produce scorpion poison? It’s been done. Oh, and the next time you need a vaccine, the doctor might just give you a banana.These and many other genetically modified organisms exist today because their DNA has been altered and combined with other DNA to create an entirely new set of genes. You may not realize it, but many of these genetically modified organisms are a part of your daily life — and your daily diet. Today, 45 percent of U.S. corn and 85 percent of U.S. soybeans are genetically engineered, and it’s estimated that 70 to 75 percent of processed foods on grocery store shelves contain genetically engineered ingredients. Here’s a look at the some of the genetically engineered plants and animals already in existence — and many that are coming your way soon.Web-spinning goatsStrong, flexible spider silk is one of the most valuable materials in nature, and it could be used to make an array of products — from artificial ligaments to parachute cords — if we could just produce it on a commercial scale. In 2000, Nexia Biotechnologies announced it had the answer: a goat that produced spiders’ web protein in its milk.Researchers inserted a spiders’ dragline silk gene into the goats’ DNA in such a way that the goats would make the silk protein only in their milk. This “silk milk” could then be used to manufacture a web-like material called Biosteel.Glow-in-the-dark catsIn 2007, South Korean scientists altered a cat’s DNA to make it glow in the dark and then took that DNA and cloned other cats from it — creating a set of fluffy, fluorescent felines. Here’s how they did it: The researchers took skin cells from Turkish Angora female cats and used a virus to insert genetic instructions for making red fluorescent protein. Then they put the gene-altered nuclei into the eggs for cloning, and the cloned embryos were implanted back into the donor cats — making the cats the surrogate mothers for their own clones. What’s the point of creating a pet that doubles as a nightlight? Scientists say the ability to engineer animals with fluorescent proteins will enable them to artificially create animals with human genetic diseases.EnviropigThe Enviropig, or “Franken swine,” as critics call it, is a pig that’s been genetically altered to better digest and process phosphorus. Pig manure is high in hydrate, a form of phosphorus, so when farmers use the manure as fertilizer, the chemical enters the watershed, and causes algae blooms that deplete oxygen in the water and kill marine life.So scientists added an E. Coli bacteria and mouse DNA to a pig embryo. This modification decreases a pig’s phosphorous output by as much as 70 percent — making the pig more environmentally friendly.Venomous cabbageScientists have recently taken the gene that programs poison in scorpion tails and looked for ways to combine it with cabbage. Why would they want to create venomous cabbage? To limit pesticide use while still preventing caterpillars from damaging cabbage crops. These genetically modified cabbages would produce scorpion poison that kills caterpillars when they bite leaves — but the toxin is modified so it isn’t harmful to humans.Fast-growing salmonAqua Bounty’s genetically modified salmon grows twice as fast as the conventional variety — the photo shows two same-age salmon with the genetically altered one in the rear. The company says the fish has the same flavor, texture, color, and odor as a regular salmon; however, the debate continues over whether the fish is safe to eat.Genetically engineered Atlantic salmon has an added growth hormone from a Chinook salmon that allows the fish to produce growth hormone year-round. Scientists were able to keep the hormone active by using a gene from an eel-like fish called an ocean pout, which acts as an “on switch” for the hormone.If the FDA approves the sale of the salmon, it will be the first time the government has allowed modified animals to be marketed for human consumption. According to federal guidelines, the fish would not have to be labeled as genetically modified.

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Banana vaccinesPeople may soon be getting vaccinated for diseases like hepatitis B and cholera by simply taking a bite of banana. Researchers have successfully engineered bananas, potatoes, lettuce, carrots, and tobacco to produce vaccines, but they say bananas are the ideal production and delivery vehicle.When an altered form of a virus is injected into a banana sapling, the virus’ genetic material quickly becomes a permanent part of the plant’s cells. As the plant grows, its cells produce the virus proteins — but not the infectious part of the virus. When people eat a bite of a genetically engineered banana, which is full of virus proteins, their immune systems build up antibodies to fight the disease — just like a traditional vaccine.Less-flatulent cowsCows produce significant amounts of methane as a result of their digestion process — it’s produced by a bacterium that’s a byproduct of cows’ high-cellulosic diets that include grass and hay. Methane is a major contributor — second only to carbon dioxide — to the greenhouse effect, so scientists have been working to genetically engineer a cow that produces less methane.Agriculture research scientists at the University of Alberta have identified the bacterium responsible for producing methane and designed a line of cattle that creates 25 percent less methane than the average cow.Genetically modified treesTrees are being genetically altered to grow faster, yield better wood, and even detect biological attacks. Proponents of genetically engineered trees say biotechnology can help reverse deforestation while satisfying demand for wood and paper products. For example, Australian eucalyptus trees have been altered to withstand freezing temperatures, and loblolly pines have been created with less lignin, the substance that gives trees their rigidity. In 2003, the Pentagon even awarded Colorado State researchers $500,000 to develop pine trees that change color when exposed to biological or chemical attack.However, critics argue that not enough is known about designer trees’ effect on their natural surroundings — they could spread their genes to natural trees or increase wildfire risk, among other drawbacks. Still, the USDA in June gave approval for ArborGen, a biotechnology company, to begin field trials for 250,000 trees in seven southern states.Medicinal eggsBritish scientists have created a breed of genetically modified hens that produce cancer-fighting medicines in their eggs. The animals have had human genes added to their DNA so that human proteins are secreted into the whites of their eggs, along with complex medicinal proteins similar to drugs used to treat skin cancer and other diseases.What exactly do these eggs contain? The hens lay eggs that have miR24, a molecule with potential for treating malignant melanoma and arthritis, and human interferon b-1a, an antiviral drug that resembles modern treatments for multiple sclerosis.

The $100 Genome: Implications for the Dodd - 2010

Introduction: Rapid advances in DNA sequencing and other technologies are ushering in an era of personal genomics. Soon it will be possible for every individual to have access to the complete DNA sequence of his or her genome for a modest cost. This development, coupled with the improving ability to predict how genetic variation affects susceptibility to disease, response to medical treatment, and other important phenotypes, will have a transformative effect on health care. This will be far reaching in civilian medical practice, and it could be used in the assessment of personnel at all stages of their military service.

Summary: The first draft sequences of the human genome were published a decade ago at a cost of ~$300M. Although these data provided an unprecedented view of the genetic blueprint of humans, the prohibitive cost of DNA sequencing made difficult the correlation of genetic variations with specific traits. Successive improvements in “second-generation” DNA sequencing platforms over the last five years reduced the cost of sequencing by approximately an order of magnitude each year. An entire human genome can now be sequenced in a matter of days for a retail cost of $20,000, and “third-generation” DNA sequencing systems soon to be released will drive costs of reagents to below $100, although machines, labor, and data processing expenses will add to the cost of each genome.

Major Recommendations: The DoD should establish policies that result in the collection of genotype and phenotype data, the application of bioinformatics tools to support the health and effectiveness of military personnel (create super soldiers), and the resolution of ethical and social issues that arise from these activities. The DoD and the VA should affiliate with or stand up a genotype/phenotype analysis program that addresses their respective needs. Waiting even two years to initiate this process may place them unrecoverable behind in the race for personal genomics information and applications. Translation? Enhanced human beings or super soldiers is the new arms race!

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The Hybrid Age – Tom Horn & Chuck MislerIn recent years, astonishing technological developments have pushed the frontiers of humanity toward far-reaching morphological transformation that promises in the very near future to redefine what it means to be human. What science has already done with genetically modifying plants and animals will soon apply to Homo sapiens. An international, intellectual, and fast-growing cultural movement known as Tran humanism supports this vision, as does a flourishing list of U.S. military advisors, bioethicists, law professors, and academics, which intend the use of genetics, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and synthetic biology (Grins technologies) as tools that will radically redesign our minds, our memories, our physiology, our offspring, and even perhaps as Joel Garreau, in his bestselling book Radical Evolution, claims—our very souls.I have personally debated leading Tran humanist, Dr. James Hughes, concerning this inevitable post human future on his weekly syndicated talk show, Change surfer Radio. Hughes is executive director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies and teaches at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He is the author of Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future, a sort of bible for Tran humanist values. Dr. Hughes joins a growing body of academics, bioethicists, and sociologists who support: Large-scale genetic and neurological engineering of ourselves…[a] new chapter in evolution [as] the result of accelerating developments in the fields of genomics, stem-cell research, genetic enhancement, germ-line engineering, neuron-pharmacology, artificial intelligence, robotics, pattern recognition technologies, and nanotechnology…at the intersection of science and religion [which has begun to question] what it means to be human.1

Though the transformation of man to this post human condition is in its fledgling state, complete integration of the technology necessary to replace existing Homo sapiens as the dominant life form on earth is approaching an exponential curve with experts predicting the first substantive steps in human-enhancement starting any time after the year 2012.National Geographic magazine concurred in 2007, speculating that within ten years, the first “human non-humans” would walk the earth, and retired San Diego State University professor and computer scientist Vernon Vine (who delivered the now-famous lecture, “The Coming Technological Singularity,” at Vision-21 Symposium sponsored by NASA Lewis Research Center and the Ohio Aerospace Institute in 1993), agreed recently that we are entering that period in history when questions like “What is the meaning of life?” will be nothing more than an engineering question.Most readers may be surprised to learn that in preparation of this post human revolution, the United States government, through the National Institute of Health, recently granted Case Law School in Cleveland $773,000 of taxpayers’ money to begin developing the actual guidelines that will be used for setting government policy regarding the next step in human evolution—“genetic enhancement.” Maxwell Mehlman, Arthur E. Petersilge Professor of Law, director of the Law-Medicine Center at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law and professor of bioethics in the Case School of Medicine, led the team of law professors, physicians, and bioethicists over the two-year project “to develop standards for tests on human subjects in research that involves the use of genetic technologies to enhance ‘normal’ individuals.” 2Following the initial study, Mehlman began traveling the United States and offering two university lectures: “Directed Evolution: Public Policy and Human Enhancement” and “Tran humanism and the Future of Democracy,” addressing the need for society to comprehend how emerging fields of science will, in approaching years, alter what it means to be human, and what this means to democracy, individual rights, free will, eugenics, and equality. At the Brookings Institute—the #1 think tank in the world and the #1 policy think tank in the United States—a new series titled “The Future of the Constitution” is likewise examining how the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights will need to be amended to insure rights and privileges for new forms of humans including genetically engineered homosexual entities.3 Law schools, including Stanford and Oxford, are hosting annual “Human Enhancement and Technology” conferences to consider the ramifications as well, where Tran

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humanists, futurists, bioethicists, and legal scholars are busying themselves with the ethical, legal, and inevitable ramifications of post humanity.

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COMES THE ÜBERMENSCHENAs the director of the Future of Humanity Institute and a professor of philosophy at Oxford University, Nick Bostrom (www.NickBostrom.com) is a leading advocate of Tran humanism who, as a young man, was heavily influenced by the works of Friedrich Nietzsche (from whom the phrase “God is dead” derives) and Goethe, the author of Faust. Nietzsche was the originator of the übermensch or “Overman” that Adolf Hitler dreamed of engineering, and the “entity” that man—who is nothing more than a rope “tied between beast and Overman, a rope over an abyss”—according to Nietzsche, will eventually evolve into.Bostrom envisions giving life to Nietzsche’s Overman (post humans) by remanufacturing men with animals, plants, and other synthetic life forms through the use of modern sciences including recombinant dna technology, germ-line engineering, and transgenic (in which the genetic structure of one species is altered by the transfer of genes from another). The former chairman of the President’s Council on Bioethics, Dr. Leon Kass provided a status report on how real and how imminent the dangers of such Grins technologies could be in the hands of Tran humanists.In the introduction to his book, Life, Liberty and the Defense of Dignity: The Challenges of Bioethics, Kass warned:Human nature itself lies on the operating table, ready for alteration, for eugenic and psychic “enhancement,” for wholesale redesign. In leading laboratories, academic and industrial, new creators are confidently amassing their powers and quietly honing their skills, while on the street their evangelists [Tran humanists] are zealously prophesying a post human future. For anyone who cares about preserving our humanity, the time has come for paying attention.4

Notwithstanding such warnings, the problem could be unavoidable; as Prof. Gregory Stock, in his well-researched and convincing book, Redesigning Humans: Our Inevitable Genetic Future argues that stopping what we have already started (genetic enhancement of plants, animals and humans) is impossible. “We simply cannot find the brakes.” 5 Varner Vinge agrees, adding:Even if all the governments of the world were to understand the “threat” and be in deadly fear of it, progress toward the goal would continue. In fact, the competitive advantage—economic, military, even artistic—of every advance in automation is so compelling that passing laws, or having customs, that forbid such things merely assures that someone else will get them first.6

Academic scientists and technical consultants to the U.S. Pentagon have advised the agency that the principal argument by Vinge is correct. As such, the United States could be forced into large-scale species-altering output, including human enhancement for military purposes. This is based on solid military intelligence, which suggests that America’s competitors (and potential enemies) are privately seeking to develop the same this century and use it to dominate the U.S. if they can.This worrisome “government think tank” scenario is even shared by the Jason’s—the celebrated scientists on the Pentagon’s most prestigious scientific advisory panel who now perceive “Mankind 2.0” as the next arms race. Just as the old Soviet Union and the United States with their respective allies competed for supremacy in nuclear arms following the Second World War through the 1980s (what is now commonly known as “the nuclear arms race during the cold war”), the Jason’s “are worried about adversaries’ ability to exploit advances in Human Performance Modification, and thus create a threat to national security,” wrote military analyst Noah Shachtman in “Top Pentagon Scientists Fear Brain-Modified Foes.” This special for Wired magazine was based on a leaked military report in which the Jasons admitted concern over “neuro-pharmaceutical performance enhancement and brain-computer interfaces” technology being developed by other countries ahead of the United States.

The Jasons are recommending that the American military push ahead with its own performance-enhancement research—and monitor foreign studies—to make sure that the U.S.’ enemies don’t suddenly become smarter, faster, or better able to endure the harsh realities of war than American troops...They are particularly concerned about [new technologies] that promote “brain

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plasticity”—rewiring the mind, essentially, by helping to “permanently establish new neural pathways, and thus new cognitive capabilities.” 7

Though it might be tempting to disregard the conclusions by the Jasons as a rush to judgment on the emerging threat of techno-sapiens, it would be a serious mistake to do so. As Grins technologies continue to race toward an exponential curve, parallel to these advances will be the increasingly sophisticated argument that societies must take control of human biological limitations and move the species—or at least some of its members—into new forms of existence. Prof. Nigel M. de S. Cameron, director for the Council for Biotechnology Policy in Washington dc, documents this move, concluding that the genie is out of the bottle and that “the federal government’s National Nanotechnology Initiative’s web site already gives evidence of this kind of future vision, in which human dignity is undermined by [being transformed into post humans].” 8 Dr. C. Christopher Hook, a member of the government committee on human genetics who has given testimony before the U.S. Congress, offered similar insight on the state of the situation:

[The goal of post humanism] is most evident in the degree to which the U.S. government has formally embraced Tran humanist ideals and is actively supporting the development of Tran humanist technologies. The U.S. National Science Foundation, together with the U.S. Department of Commerce, has initiated a major program (nbic) for converging several technologies (including those from which the acronym is derived—nanotechnology, biotechnologies, information technologies and cognitive technologies; e.g., cybernetics and neurotechnologies) for the express purpose of enhancing human performance. The nbic program director, Mihail Roco, declared at the second public meeting of the project…that the expenditure of financial and human capital to pursue the needs of reengineering humanity by the U.S. government will be second in equivalent value only to the moon landing program.9

The presentation by Mihail Roco to which Dr. Hook refers is contained in the 482-page report, “Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance,” commissioned by the U.S. National Science Foundation and Department of Commerce. Among other things, the report discusses planned applications of human enhancement technologies in the military (and in rationalization of the human-machine interface in industrial settings) wherein Darpa is devising “Nano, Bio, Info, and Cognitive” scenarios “focused on enhancing human performance.” The plan echoes a Mephistophelian bargain (a deal with the devil) in which “a golden age” merges technological and human cognition into “a single, distributed and interconnected brain.” 10The “Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance” document mentioned above was published nearly a decade ago and predicted the time frame around 2012 as the date after which a new form of humanity would begin emerging as a result of Grins alteration. Numerous other national and public reports have likewise focused on 2012 as an event horizon. Is there a spirit behind this effort to create a new form of man, a modern Nephilim following 2012? Is it the same influence that caused so many ancient occult societies—the Maya, Aztec, Hindu, Cherokee, the Cumae an Sibyl (not to mention prophecies in the Zohar and elsewhere)—to predict the end of their calendars during 2012 followed by the emergence of a new form of man? If so, are we witnessing the fulfillment of Matthew 24:37—“But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be”? 1. Jerome C. Glenn, “The State of the Future” (7/14/10) www.kurzweilai.net/the-state-ofthe-future, emphasis added.2. Case Western Reserve University,” Case Law School Receives $773,000 NIH Grant to Develop Guidelines for Genetic EnhancementResearch: Professor Max Mehlman to Lead Team of Law Professors, Physicians, and Bioethicists in Two-Year Project (April 28, 2006).3. http://www.brookings.edu/governance/Future-ofthe-Constitution.aspx4. Leon R. Kass, Life, Liberty, and the Defense of Dignity: The Challenge for Bioethics (New York: Encounter, 10/25/02).5. As quoted by Margaret McLean, PHD. “Redesigning Humans: The Final Frontier,” http://www.elca.org /What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Journal-of-Lutheran-Ethics/Book-Reviews/Redesigning-Humans-by-Gregory-Stock/Redesigning-Humans-The-Final-Frontier.aspx.6. “The Coming Technological Singularity,” presented at the VISION-21 Symposium sponsored by NASA

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Lewis ResearchCenter and the Ohio Aerospace Institute (3/30–31/93).7. Noah Shachtman,“Top Pentagon Scientists Fear Brain-Modified Foes,” Wired (6/9/08) http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/06/jason-warns-of/.8. Nigel M. de S. Cameron, Human Dignity in the Biotech Century (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004) 75.9. Ibid. 87, emphasis added.10. Mihail Roco, Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance (U.S. National Science Foundation and Department of Commerce, 2002)

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INTACT GENETIC MATERIAL EXTRACTED FROM AN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MUMMYBy HAROLD M. SCHMECK Jr. - Published: April 16, 1985

HUMAN genetic material, largely undamaged after 2,400 years, has been extracted from an Egyptian mummy and has been grown in the laboratory. The achievement is the most dramatic of a series of recent accomplishments using molecular biology to study links between modern and ancient life.http://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/16/sc...ian-mummy.html

Neanderthal man, DNA experiments and the shadow of Dr Frankenstein

The phrase ‘Frankenstein science’ has never been so apt. A Harvard professor says that by injecting Stone Age genes into a human embryo — and then implanting the embryo into a human surrogate mother — it will soon be possible to create a living Neanderthal.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...nkenstein.htmland PRESTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SCIENTISTS RESURRECT EXTINCT FROG That Gives Birth Through Its MouthMarch 19th, 2013http://myscienceacademy.org/2013/03/...ugh-its-mouth/ First human head transplant could happen in two years - 25 February 2015 by Helen Thomson. New Science Magazine issue 3010 - For similar stories, visit the The Human Brain Topic Guide

Chimeras a step closer to realityOf mice, men and in-between / Scientists debate blending of human, animal formsBy Rick Weiss: The Washington Post: Updated: 1:14 a.m. ET Nov. 20, 2004In Minnesota, pigs are being born with human blood in their veins.In Nevada, there are sheep whose livers and hearts are largely human.In California, mice peer from their cages with human brain cells firing inside their skulls.These are not outcasts from "The Island of Dr. Moreau," the 1896 novel by H.G. Wells in which a rogue doctor develops creatures that are part animal and part human. They are real creations of real scientists, stretching the boundaries of stem cell research.Biologists call these hybrid animals’ chimeras, after the mythical Greek creature with a lion's head, a goat's body and a serpent's tail. They are the products of experiments in which human stem cells were added to developing animal fetuses.Living test bedsChimeras are allowing scientists to watch, for the first time, how nascent human cells and organs mature and interact — not in the cold isolation of laboratory dishes but inside the bodies of living creatures. Some are already revealing deep secrets of human biology and pointing the way toward new medical treatments.But with no federal guidelines in place, an awkward question hovers above the work: How human must a chimera be before more stringent research rules should kick in?The National Academy of Sciences, which advises the federal government, has been studying the issue and hopes to make recommendations by February. Yet the range of opinions it has received so far suggests that reaching consensus may be difficult.During one recent meeting, scientists disagreed on such basic issues as whether it would be unethical for a human embryo to begin its development in an animal's womb, and whether a mouse would be better or worse off with a brain made of human neurons.“ This is an area where we really need to come to a reasonable consensus," said James Battey, chairman of

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the National Institutes of Health's Stem Cell Task Force. "We need to establish some kind of guidelines as to what the scientific community ought to do and ought not to do."Beyond twins and momsChimeras (ki-MER-ahs) — meaning mixtures of two or more individuals in a single body — are not inherently unnatural. Most twins carry at least a few cells from the sibling with whom they shared a womb, and most mothers carry in their blood at least a few cells from each child they have born.Recipients of organ transplants are also chimeras, as are the many people whose defective heart valves have been replaced with those from pigs or cows. And scientists for years have added human genes to bacteria and even to farm animals — feats of genetic engineering that allow those critters to make human proteins such as insulin for use as medicines.“ Chimeras are not as strange and alien as at first blush they seem," said Henry Greely, a law professor and ethicist at Stanford University who has reviewed proposals to create human-mouse chimeras there.But chimerism becomes a more sensitive topic when it involves growing entire human organs inside animals. And it becomes especially sensitive when it deals in brain cells, the building blocks of the organ credited with making humans human.In experiments like those, Greely told the academy last month, "there is a nontrivial risk of conferring some significant aspects of humanity" on the animal.Greely and his colleagues did not conclude that such experiments should never be done. Indeed, he and many other philosophers have been wrestling with the question of why so many people believe it is wrong to breach the species barrier.Does the repugnance reflect an understanding of an important natural law? Or is it just another cultural bias, like the once widespread rejection of interracial marriage?Many turn to the Bible's repeated invocation that animals should multiply "after their kind" as evidence that such experiments are wrong. Others, however, have concluded that the core problem is not necessarily the creation of chimeras but rather the way they are likely to be treated.Imagine, said Robert Streiffer, a professor of philosophy and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin, a human-chimpanzee chimera endowed with speech and an enhanced potential to learn — what "There's a knee-jerk reaction that enhancing the moral status of an animal is bad," Streiffer said. "But if you did it, and you gave it the protections it deserves, how could the animal complain?"Unfortunately, said Harvard political philosopher Michael J. Sandel, speaking last fall at a meeting of the President's Council on Bioethics, such protections are unlikely.“ Chances are we would make them perform menial jobs or dangerous jobs," Sandel said. "That would be an objection."A research breakthroughThe potential power of chimeras as research tools became clear about a decade ago in a series of dramatic experiments by Evan Balaban, now at McGill University in Montreal. Balaban took small sections of brain from developing quails and transplanted them into the developing brains of chickens. The resulting chickens exhibited vocal trills and head bobs unique to quails, proving that the transplanted parts of the brain contained the neural circuitry for quail calls. It also offered astonishing proof that complex behaviors could be transferred across species.No one has proposed similar experiments between, say, humans and apes. But the discovery of human embryonic stem cells in 1998 allowed researchers to envision related experiments that might reveal a lot about how embryos grow.The cells, found in 5-day-old human embryos, multiply prolifically and — unlike adult cells — have the potential to turn into any of the body's 200 or so cell types.Scientists hope to cultivate them in laboratory dishes and grow replacement tissues for patients. But with those applications years away, the cells are gaining in popularity for basic research.The most radical experiment, still not conducted, would be to inject human stem cells into an animal embryo and then transfer that chimeric embryo into an animal's womb. Scientists suspect the proliferating human cells would spread throughout the animal embryo as it matured into a fetus and integrate themselves into every organ.Such "humanized" animals could have countless uses. They would almost certainly provide better ways to test a new drug's efficacy and toxicity, for example, than the ordinary mice typically used today.But few scientists are eager to do that experiment. The risk, they say, is that some human cells will find their way to the developing testes or ovaries, where they might grow into human sperm and eggs. If two such

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chimeras — say, mice — were to mate, a human embryo might form, trapped in a mouse.Not everyone agrees that this would be a terrible result. “ What would be so dreadful?" asked Ann McLaren, a renowned developmental biologist at the University of Cambridge in England. After all, she said, no human embryo could develop successfully in a mouse womb. It would simply die, she told the academy. No harm done.But others disagree — if for no other reason than nothing else out of fear of a public backlash.“ Certainly you'd get a negative response from people to have a human embryo trying to grow in the wrong place," said Cynthia B. Cohen, a senior research fellow at Georgetown University's Kennedy Institute of Ethics and a member of Canada's Stem Cell Oversight Committee, which supported a ban on such experiments there.How human?But what about experiments in which scientists add human stem cells not to an animal embryo but to an animal fetus, which has already made its eggs and sperm? Then the only question is how human a creature one dares to make.In one ongoing set of experiments, Jeffrey L. Platt at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., has created human-pig chimeras by adding human-blood-forming stem cells to pig fetuses. The resulting pigs have both pig and human blood in their vessels. And it's not just pig blood cells being swept along with human blood cells; some of the cells themselves have merged, creating hybrids.It is important to have learned that human and pig cells can fuse, Platt said, because he and others have been considering transplanting modified pig organs into people and have been wondering if that might pose a risk of pig viruses getting into patient's cells. Now scientists know the risk is real, he said, because the viruses may gain access when the two cells fuse.In other experiments led by Esmail Zanjani, chairman of animal biotechnology at the University of Nevada at Reno, scientists have been adding human stem cells to sheep fetuses. The team now has sheep whose livers are up to 80 percent human and make all the compounds human livers make.Zanjani's goal is to make the humanized livers available to people who need transplants. The sheep portions will be rejected by the immune system, he predicted, while the human part will take root."I don't see why anyone would raise objections to our work," Zanjani said in an interview.Mice and menPerhaps the most ambitious efforts to make use of chimeras come from Irving Weissman, director of Stanford University's Institute of Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine. Weissman helped make the first mouse with a nearly complete human immune system — an animal that has proved invaluable for tests of new drugs against the AIDS virus, which does not infect conventional mice.More recently his team injected human neural stem cells into mouse fetuses, creating mice whose brains are about 1 percent human. By dissecting the mice at various stages, the researchers were able to see how the added brain cells moved about as they multiplied and made connections with mouse cells. Already, he said, they have learned things they "never would have learned had there been a bioethical ban."Now he wants to add human brain stem cells that have the defects that cause Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease and other brain ailments — and study how those cells make connections.Scientists suspect that these diseases, though they manifest themselves in adulthood, begin when something goes wrong early in development. If those errors can be found, researchers would have a much better chance of designing useful drugs, Weissman said. And those drugs could be tested in the chimeras in ways not possible in patients.Now Weissman says he is thinking about making chimeric mice whose brains are 100 percent human. He proposes keeping tabs on the mice as they develop. If the brains look as if they are taking on a distinctly human architecture — a development that could hint at a glimmer of humanness — they could be killed, he said. If they look as if they are organizing themselves in mouse brain architecture, they could be used for research. So far this is just a "thought experiment," Weissman said, but he asked the university's ethics group for an opinion anyway."Everyone said the mice would be useful," he said. "But no one was sure if it should be done."© 2004 The Washington Post Company - URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6534243/

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Making Manimals By William Saletan. Sunday, June 24, 2007If you've been laughing at those Neanderthal presidential candidates who still don't believe in evolution, it's time to sober up. Every serious scientist knows we evolved from animals. The question now is whether to put our DNA and theirs back together.We've been transplanting baboon hearts, pig valves, and other animal parts into people for decades. We've derived stem cells by inserting human genomes into rabbit eggs. We've created mice that have human prostate glands. We've made sheep that have half-human livers. Last week, Britain's Academy of Medical Sciences reported that scientists have created "thousands of examples of transgenic animals" carrying human DNA. According to the report, "the introduction of human gene sequences into mouse cells in vitro is a technique now practiced in virtually every biomedical research institution across the world."Why have we done this? To save lives. If you can't get a human heart valve, a pig valve will do. So far, our mixtures are modest. To make humanized animals really creepy, you'd have to do several things. You'd increase the ratio of human to animal DNA. You'd transplant human cells that spread throughout the body. You'd do it early in embryonic development, so the human cells would shape the animals' architecture, not just blend in. You'd grow the embryos to maturity. And you'd start messing with the brain.We're doing all of these things. According to the British academy's report, "researchers have constructed ever more ambitious transgenic animals" -- some with an entire human chromosome -- and it's "likely that the process of engineering ever larger amounts of human DNA into mice will continue." We're not doing these things because they're creepy. We're doing them because they're logical. The more you humanize animals, the better they serve their purpose as lab models of humanity. That's what's scary about species mixing. It's not some crazy Frankenstein project. It's the future of medicine.Now comes the brain. Neurological disorders affect 1 billion people and kill nearly 7 million per year. To study these disorders, we're doing to brain tissue what we've done to liver and kidney tissue. We've added human stem cells to the brains of fetal mice and grown them into adult mice with human neurons. According to the British academy, it's now standard practice to test human neural stem cells by assessing whether they "integrate appropriately into mouse or rat brain." Imagine that: a humanoid brain network you can treat like a lab animal, because it is a lab animal.The Stanford experiment wouldn't actually produce a human brain. Most brain cells aren't neurons, and the experiment called for inserting human cells after the mice had constructed their brain architecture. But last year in the journal Developmental Biology, researchers proposed to insert human stem cells in mice before this architectural stage. The resulting "mouse/human chimeras," they argued, "would be of considerable value for the modeling of human development and disease in live animals."When Stanford's ethicists first heard the proposal for humanized mouse brains, they were grossed out. But after thinking it over, they tentatively endorsed the idea and decided that it may not be bad to endow mice with "some aspects of human consciousness or some human cognitive abilities." The British academy and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences have likewise refused to permanently restrict the humanization of animals.If you want permanent restrictions, your best bet is the senator who tried to impose them two years ago. He's the same presidential candidate now leading the charge against evolution: Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican. He thinks we're separate from other animals, "unique in the created order." Too bad this wasn't true in the past -- and won't be true in the future.human@slate.comWilliam Saletan covers science and technology for Slate, the online magazine at www.slate.com.

The end of extinction? - Mail Online Magazine - By SARAH GRIFFITHS – 9/3/2013Scientists are close to 'cloning' an Australian frog that no longer exists - and there are plans to resurrect more dead species

Researchers in Australia have made the first steps towards bringing the southern gastric-brooding frog back to life

Other scientists are working on genome sequencing for extinct pigeons and even the woolly mammoth

The Lazarus Project - a de-extinction initiative - is hopeful that many species can be re-introduced to be studied by scientists

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2409838/The-end-extinction-Scientists-close-cloning-Australian-frog-longer-exists--plans-resurrect-dead-species.html#ixzz2f5gOet5H 

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Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond To The Redesigned Human Of The FutureA provocative work by medical ethicist James Hughes, Citizen Cyborg argues that technologies pushing the boundaries of humanness can radically improve our quality of life if they are controlled democratically. Hughes challenges both the technophobia of Leon Kass and Francis Fukuyama and the unchecked enthusiasm of others for limitless human enhancement. He argues instead for a third way, "democratic trans humanism," by asking the question destined to become a fundamental issue of the twenty-first century: How can we use new cybernetic and biomedical technologies to make life better for everyone? These technologies hold great promise, but they also pose profound challenges to our health, our culture, and our liberal democratic political system. By allowing humans to become more than human - "post human" or "trans human" - the new technologies will require new answers for the enduring issues of liberty and the common good. What limits should we place on the freedom of people to control their own bodies? Who should own genes and other living things? Which technologies should be mandatory, which voluntary, and which forbidden? For answers to these challenges, Citizen Cyborg proposes a radical return to a faith in the resilience of our democratic institutions.

Advancements in High-Speed DNA Synthesis to Drive Growth in the Global Synthetic Biology Market, According to New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. - San Jose, California - November 26, 2013

Synthetic biology as an extension of biotechnology and genetic engineering, is expected to present a new world of opportunities right from designing new biological systems to entirely transforming the way food crops or medicines are developed. Unlike genetic engineering, in synthetic biology, scientists entirely reengineer biological systems by writing a new genetic code on a computer, which is later impregnated into organisms for creating an artificial life form. Though synthetic biology is still in its infancy, the potential for future impact remains significant. The revolutionary idea brings together multiple disciplines such as computer modeling, engineering and biological sciences for creating next-generation biological systems, parts and devices as well as for redesigning existing biological systems for useful applications. Molecular biologists, computer scientists, engineers and chemists are working in collaboration to develop building blocks for creating a new synthetic world, while researchers are exploring the process of gene manipulation as well as reconfiguration of metabolic pathways of cells to perform new functions. Ever since its inception, synthetic biology has played a pioneering role in transforming applications across diverse end-use segments including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, energy and healthcare. Several of the leading chemical, energy, pharmaceutical, food, forestry and agribusiness companies are investing in synthetic biology research and are increasingly relying on artificial DNA fragments to invent new products.

Synthetic biology has potential applications in a number of areas, including health, environment, energy, food and agriculture and new materials development. Energy & Chemicals represent the largest as well as the fastest growing end-use sector. Within the pharmaceuticals sector, the technology has pioneered the development of an affordable and highly effective malaria drug, which offers therapeutic benefits similar to Artemisia, a Chinese herb. The new drug is produced inside the cellular membranes of a synthetic yeast strain. In the agriculture sector, the technology finds utility in the production of genetically engineered crops. Currently, genetically engineered crops contribute about 94% of cotton, 93% of soy, and 88% of corn of the overall acreage in the United States. The technology is being used to develop high-performance biofuels. Other areas with commercial potential include the use of synthetic biology for creating crop-enhancing fertilizers and new food additives, such as artificial sweeteners. The technology

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can also be used to modify the genetic code of naturally found bacteria in the soil so that it releases growth hormones in soil for the plant to absorb the hormone and develop stronger roots. Synthetic biology can also be used to create gene network for endangered species, facilitate artificial photosynthesis, and perform biological computing.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1609506#ixzz2miT9llwAFor more details about this comprehensive market research report, please visit - http://www.strategyr.com/Synthetic_Biology_Market_Report.asp

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Singularity – see singularity.com

'Ray Kurzweil is the best person I know at predicting the future of artificial intelligence. His

intriguing new book envisions a future in which information technologies have advanced so far and fast that they enable humanity to transcend its biological limitations - transforming our lives in ways we can't yet imagine' --Bill Gates --

The Wall Street Journal, and “the ultimate thinking machine” by Forbes have described Ray Kurzweil as “the restless genius”. Inc. magazine ranked him #8 among entrepreneurs in the United States, calling him the “rightful heir to Thomas Edison,” and PBS included Ray as one of 16 “revolutionaries who made America,” along with other inventors of the past two centuries.As one of the leading inventors of our time, Ray has worked in such areas as music synthesis, speech, and character recognition, reading technology, virtual reality, and cybernetic art. All of these pioneering technologies continue today as market leaders. Ray was the principal developer of the first Omni-font optical character recognition, the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, the first CCD flatbed scanner, the first text-to-speech synthesizer, the first music synthesizer capable of recreating the grand piano and other orchestral instruments, and the first commercially marketed large-vocabulary speech recognition. Ray’s web site kurzweilai.net has over one million readers.Among Ray’s many honors, he is the recipient of the $500,000 MIT-Lemelson Prize, the world's largest for innovation. In 1999, he received the National Medal of Technology, the nation's highest honor in technology, from President Clinton in a White House ceremony. And in 2002, he was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame, established by the US Patent Office.He has received twelve honorary Doctorates and honors from three U.S. presidents.Ray’s books include The Age of Intelligent Machines, The Age of Spiritual Machines, and Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever. Three of Ray's books have been national best sellers and The Age of Spiritual Machines has been translated into 9 languages and was the #1 best selling book on Amazon in science. Ray Kurzweil’s new book, published by Viking Press, is entitled The Singularity is Near, When Humans Transcend Biology.

Brain-only Computer Interfaces Becoming Reality

My jaw hit the floor tonight watching a 60 Minutes segment on the emerging neuroscience of brain-only computer interfaces. In the clip (included in full below), see how a completely paralyzed man, who could otherwise only communicate by moving his eyes, uses his mind to type out thoughts on a computer screen. Of course, the process is very slow going—each letter takes up to 20 seconds to type. Reporter Scott Pelley donned the controller skullcap, and watched a screen of flashing letters to try it out him. When the letter he was thinking of highlighted, he'd think "that's it!" and that signal of recognition would type the letter on-screen. Neuroscientists have even gotten as far as to embed a chip inside a monkey's brain, and figured out what brain activity signals that the monkey is trying to move its arm in what direction. Hit the clip below to watch this monkey control a robotic arm with only its thoughts. Click This is the seed of my most-wanted, dream computer interface, one that doesn't involve pecking at keys. Imagine a day when, like speech recognition, thought recognition becomes possible, and you can narrate your thoughts to your computer or handheld device. Maybe 30 years down the road, our kids will be riding the subway with their iPhone-like device's headphones plugged in, getting new email read to them, and narrating their responses back only with their minds. Brain Power Video [CBS News 60 Minutes]

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Fearless soldiers: Pentagon eyes new drugs to control human fear, anxietyAndre Mitchell   25 June 2015

High-risk military operations, ruthless enemies and harsh environments will naturally bring fear to even the most seasoned soldiers. But what if you can erase this fear, and make the chances of a successful mission even higher?The United States' Department of Defense is trying to get the help of third-party biotechnology labs to develop advanced bioelectric medicines that will be able to suppress fear among soldiers.The Pentagon's innovative science division, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) hosted a conference this week, where the agency challenged labs to come up with this drug with ability to control human fear and anxiety, which will get funding from the Pentagon. DARPA program manager Doug Weber particularly challenged labs to develop tools that will establish direct communication and delivery of information to the nervous system. Such medicines and tools will give American soldiers the capability to manipulate their nerves, thereby enabling them to control vital signs such as lowering blood pressure and moderating response to infectious diseases. The DARPA also dreams of a drug that will regulate the release of adrenaline, effectively curbing fear and anxiety."That would be especially useful for our war fighters who have to deal with very stressful environments," Weber said. The DARPA official further explained that such an advanced drug can be the answer to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In 2010, a high number of deaths due to overdose of psychiatric and anti-psychotic medications were recorded among American soldiers suffering from PTSD."PTSD has a sequelae of anxiety disorders that fall from it. So instead of having to take a medication, we could use the body's internal circuitry to regulate stress levels. It would be a game changer," he said.Weber admitted that developing a drug that will regulate adrenaline release is not an easy task, but he remained optimistic given its potential to benefit not just the military, but also the public.

DARPA’s Next Generation Of Super Zombie Soldiers - Published by Sam Hason on 8/31/ 2015 Here’s how DARPA is creating the next generation of genetically modified soldiersDARPA, an agency under the US department of defense, has started a heavily funded project that aims to enhance human ability in war zones, by altering the genetic code (recipe) of their soldiers. They hope to achieve supremacy by making soldiers that are stronger, smarter, more focused and lack empathy.The credit goes to a relatively new scientific field called genetic engineering. It’s where scientists experiment with the “cook book” that

contains the recipe that makes you, and all life around you. All life forms have their own recipe, and just like food, there are a finite number of ingredients to choose from. Combination of different ingredients in different proportions makes different life forms. Genetic engineers are practically capable of making glow in the dark babies, by simply adding certain genetic codes of jellyfish into the human genetic code.Research suggests that the DARPA super soldiers might one day be able to grow a new limb, if they lose it in combat (tried and tested on mice). The part of brain that is responsible for empathy can be turned off by Gene therapy, making the soldiers oblivious to fear, fatigue and emotions. What makes this thought even more terrifying is the “Human Assisted Neural Devices program” which focuses on controlling the brain. The result is the next generation of biological war “machines”, which could be controlled by a sophisticated “joystick.”The intent of the article was to inform our readers of a dangerous aspect of genetic engineering. This science has indeed revolutionized the medical science and many other technological fields for the

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better. However it’s important to educate ourselves about the darker side of things, so that we may steer past them.

Other Military ApplicationsNot only are they working on procedures and medications to increase strength, keeps you from needing sleep, but also to remove pain.Do you really believe they would release super soldiers that they couldn’t control?

TALOS (Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit) is the name given to a robotic exoskeleton [1]  that United States Special Operations Command intends to design with the help of universities, laboratories, and the technology industry. The brief for TALOS states that it must be bulletproof, weaponized, have the ability to monitor vitals and give the wearer superhuman strength and perception.[2] The suit would comprise layers of smart material and sensors.[3] The suit may not be intended for an entire squad, but for a lead operator who will breach a door first, to protect them as they are the most vulnerable team operator in that situation.[4] Incredible HULC Tech Gives Soldiers Super StrengthThe HULC exoskeleton from Lockheed Martin transfers loads to the ground through powered titanium legs -- giving soldier's super-human strength. And the army is eager for it. 

Report predicts drones and supersoldiers are the future of warfareHALO might be a pretty accurate description of the future. Source: SuppliedROBOTS calling the shots in the skies, while technologically advanced super soldiers patrol the ground — this is the future of warfare according to a new report predicting combat over the coming decades.

Troubling Aspects of Trans-Humanism & SingularityWe are changing the image from what God created and we are changing our DNA to being different from Adam and more importantly different than Jesus Christ. If our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, then changing that temple would defile it and may make it impossible for a Holy Spirit to inhabit it. Is it possible that the human body could become the temple of Satan?

Summary: The reality is that these technologies are real and that choices of extreme morality could soon be at the each and every persons front door.

Remember, if a military or scientific report is made public, especially when it has measures of national security, the report is probably 10-20 years behind what is actually happening.

The ramifications of taking the technologies of Trans-humanism and Singularity any farther is that they could destroy humanity and the world as we know it.

We have become gods in that we are creating new creatures, experimenting on them and killing them as we see fit. We see ourselves as imperfect and fragile. We are going to fix this problem and make mankind into gods. People will be tempted to eat of the same forbidden fruit that was in the Garden of Eden.

Does the Bible have anything to say about these topics?

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