Re: Medtch 2180

Thomas Barclay of the Clan Barclay wrote:

> *workable* regeneration and disease treatment by some form of genetic
> approach both based off the complete mapping of the human genome
(which
> I imagine the first phase to be done in the next couple or four years,

I saw something which suggested the first phase will be complete by this
time next year.

> What this probably means is:
> 1) If a weapon kills you dead, you might not be dead. If enough of you
> can be found intact (mostly brain), you can be regrown and rehabbed.

Um, it's theoretically possible to grow a clone from one cell, given a
complete DNA 'strand'. However, without your memory and skills it would
not
be 'you'. And you'd need to accelerate growth hysterically to make it a
worthwhile propostion. I want my clone *now*, not in 5 years..

> 2) If a weapon kills you dead so you can't be brought back, your
> memories may be able to be mapped to a clone.

Whole different kettle of fish that. We're only really basically
beginning
to understand how memory and the brain and mind relate. Even *if* you
could
(maybe via nanite tech) distinctly study each neurone in the brain ,
we're
talking about *billions* of neurones each of which has many connections.
And you clone from above will have probably developed different neurone
connections as it developed. You would have to take it's brain apart
cell
by cell and re-wire it. Ouch. Again, nanite tech is a possible but
that's a
lot of wires. I can't even get my christmas lights to work :). Oh and
you
*do* backup your brain regularly, don't you?

> 3) If a weapon wounds you badly, stabilization will probably be so
good
> that you can get to a med facility. If so, you're probably gauranteed
a
> near full recovery.

Absolutely. I see it as being reasonable that if you are still alive (or
in
fact, very recently dead even) and haven't suffered major brain trauma a
full recovery could be taken as  read. At worst, you'd expect prosthetic
technology to be improved immeasurably, even without the possibility of
actual limb regeneration. As to stabilisation, just about every science
fiction warfare novel I've read has followed the idea that each soldier
carries (or is implanted with even) an emergency medical system that
automatically stabilises them and puts them into a very 'injury
friendly'
state until help arrives.

> 4) All of this will be difficult by the 2060s, but potentially
workable.
> By 2160, it'll be *easy* and old hat.

if the worst comes to the worst they could simulate you as a hologram.
You'd have to wear an H on your forehead though. A program I saw today
postulated the idea that as armies move to smaller groups of more highly
trained soldiers, more is spent on keeping them alive in terms of body
armour etc. The same should apply to medical technology I think.

							TTFN
								    Jon