TELOMERES
A telomere is a region of repetitive DNA at the end of a chromosome, which protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration. Telomeres protect a cell's chromosomes from fusing with each other or rearranging—abnormalities which can lead to cancer—and so cells are normally destroyed when their telomeres are consumed. Most cancers are the result of "immortal" cells which have ways of evading this programmed destruction.
BLUE BRAIN PROJECT
The Blue Brain Project is an attempt to create a synthetic brain by reverse-engineering the mammalian brain down to the molecular level. The aim of the project is to study the brain’s architectural and functional principles. Reconstructing the brain piece by piece and building a virtual brain with the helpof a supercomputer are some of the goals of the Blue Brain Project. The virtual brain will be an exceptional tool giving neuroscientists a new understanding of the brain and a better understanding of neurological diseases.
As a first step, the project succeeded in simulating a rat cortical column. Aims currently pursued by the project are:
- Construction of a simulation on the molecular level, which will allow study of the effects of gene expression;
- Simplification of the already completed column simulation to allow for parallel simulation of large numbers of connected columns, with the ultimate goal of simulating a whole neocortex
DESIGNER BABIES
Designer babies refers to the use of genetic engineering to select desired qualities of a child. This can be done by modifying the genes of human gametes, zygotes or embryos. Parents can choose to screen embryos for sex or diseases, known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. This can have potential benefits in eliminating genetic diseases in the embryo leading to a healthy life for the child-to-be. However, the idea of designer babies raises a lot of ethical questions. It could help parents choose the traits that they want in their children, in future. This includes the sex of the child, which could add to the persistent sexual discrimination continuing in most societies in the world. With parents choosing their children’s traits, they would have even higher expectations from the children leading to added pressure on them. This might have major negative impacts.
OUTER SPACE TREATY
The Outer Space Treaty, also known as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a treaty that forms the basis of international space law. The Outer Space Treaty represents the basic legal framework of international space law. Among its principles, it bars states party to the treaty from placing nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction in orbit of Earth, installing them on the Moon or any other celestial body. It exclusively limits the use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes and expressly prohibits their use for testing weapons of any kind, conducting military maneuvers, or establishing military bases, installations, and fortifications. However, the Treaty does not prohibit the placement of conventional weapons in orbit. The treaty also states that the exploration of outer space shall be done to benefit all countries and shall be free for exploration and use by all the States. The treaty explicitly forbids any government from claiming a celestial resource such as the Moon or a planet, claiming that they are the common heritage of mankind.The State that launches a space object retains jurisdiction and control over that object. The State is also liable for damages caused by their space object.
