Re: [FT][DS][SG][HIST] Just wondering...

At 09:28 22/10/98 +1000, you wrote:
>G'day,
>		I've recently finished reading a series of journal
articles and
>conference presentations on human germline engineering, which suggest
that
>its going to be all too real within the next 10-20 years. Given the
recent
>discussion on cramming crews into spaceships, and the fact that I
>personally wouldn't relish the thought of being dressed in power armour
and
>dropped from space, I got to wondering about the use of genetic
engineering
>in the forces of the future. Would germline engineering be used to
increase
>the pool of people who are "different" (as Tom put it) and so can take
>unusual stresses more or less in their stride? Maybe such "enhanced"
>individuals would make up the body of troops/crews used in really high
>stress situations and you'd have good old joe bloggs every where else,
or
>maybe the forces we'd see in the field would all be "enhanced"....
>
>Anyway just chewin' the cud.
>
>Happy gaming,
>
>Beth
>

	Tom ment different in attitude. Certainly when you try out for
sub service
they are looking at how you react to living in a small confined space
for
days on end. I don't know that genetic-engineering is going to help you
here but it might be able to take a 6'6" submarinia and stop him belting
his head on bulkheads all the time. You might be able to use to ensure
that
people are all the same size (no shortys like me) so that any recruit
will
fit your standard mass produced PA suit (the old army saying of one size
fits all has just come true by making everyone fit the same size) so all
you need to do is select those people who don't mind being dropped from
orbit.

	Tony.
	twilko@ozemail.com.au