Hypothetically, that is.
I always found the stories of human/chimp hybrids fascinating.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanzee
https://bigthink.com/the-past/soviet-human-ape-super-warriors-humanzee-ivanov/
Unproven, but theoretically as possible as horse/donkey, zebra/horse, or lion/tiger.
I’d like to see if we can build hybrid computer systems using cultured animal tissue (like Cephalopod or maybe GMO human / Cephalopod), basically grown onto an array of tiny wires. Push sensory information through the tiny wires and see if the lump of cells can learn. If it does, put it in a Eva. Or a butler robot. Or a robot vaccuum.
Idk. Its an idea for a scifi novel I’ve had. Some company does this and what people don’t realize is the supposedly autonomous systems making their lives easier are fully conscious but live tortured existences. It would get more and more lovecraftian as the cephalopod hybrids some how take over (I was thinking maybe cancer? or networked mind) and start chopping everyone to bits. Maybe they try and eat them but they have no mouth, like how an octopus arm when detach will hunt and try to feed a non-existent mouth.
I think that’s a black mirror episode (what dystopian shenanigan isn’t, nowadays?) , something like they copied your mind digitally and then (cruelly) trained the copy to become your perfect digital assistant.
I find those rats with the NOVA1 gene fascinating. I wonder what would happen if we downright tried to give rats human-level intelligence? They are more empathetic than humans I hear, they would make the perfect replacement for our species!
And another thing I would like to try, is to find a really big person, and see how far they can swallow me feet-first, before they run into problems, or one of us is injured.
How can rats have human level intelligence, if we as humans have to essentially consume the whole bodyweight of a rat daily, just to sustain our very energy demanding brains.
Good point. We should try something far longer lived, but good at surviving. Crocodiles? Nah…too much work to get them intelligent. Octopuses maybe?
EDIT: Octopi just to avoid the annoying corrections.
I hope you cut your toenails first!
That said, I doubt anyone would have an oesophagus wide enough to accommodate anything bigger than a hand, so you might need to choose a different host species and potentially, orifice.
That’s why it’s called an unethical experiment
Do you want “Planet of the Rats?” Because that’s how you get “Planet of the Rats”
Actually, I do want planet of the rats
I’d be really curious about the Tarzan experiment, having a human infant raised by apes.
It will end up like every other feral kid found.
Throwing somebody straight into lava in a volcano. Would be interesting to see what happens.
Leidenfrost probably
OK Mr. Mishima
Making a lot of clones of myself, raising them all differently, and seeing how many of them turn out in the same way as me.
AFAIK genes only account for physical properties like hair color and shit, and upbringing effects everything else.
Source: someone I met who claimed to be a psychiatrist told me and I’ve never confirmed it or that she actually was a psychiatrist.
Not the same, but your comment reminded me of an upcoming game I want to try The Alters
Oooh there’s a playable demo! I’m gonna try it as soon as possible!
There’s a interesting sci-fi book with a (vaguely) similar premise - House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds.
Agreed, it’s an interesting thing to think about at least. The nature vs nurture debate is practically as old as time itself but it feels like we’re no closer to an answer outside of “it’s a bit of both.” But how much?
Twin studies show thats its about 50% each.
50% per twin?
50% genetics and 50% the twin’s respective environment. These twin studies often look at twins separated and raised in different households.
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Making chimeras sounds cool as shit. What’s even unethical about it? Why can’t I have an army of beavermen to dam the world’s waterways unless my ransom demands are met?
Ok, I think I see where the unethical part lies…
Yeah it’s beaverPEOPLE, not beaverMEN. Get with the times!
I’m a beaver man myself. Pubes are sexy.
How many billionaires need to be publicly executed to fix the usa political system.
More than just the ones in America, I’d reckon.
Title says unethical
Trolling against some lemmy mods? (surely one of the most hazardous things to to)
Actually just stop allowing anyone with “defective” genes to reproduce.
I am fully I wouldnt exist in this hypothetical world (-11 vision in both eyes), but I would be curious what would happen if we only ever let perfectly healthy people with no genetic defects have kids.
Like would it eventually just become a perfect world where nobody needs glasses or asthma inhalers? Or would we die off because not enough genetically “perfect” people exist to make this plan work?
That’s sounds interesting it would also be cool to see how long before defective genes show up again
Some traits end up being beneficial. For instance sickle cell anemia vs malaria.
As a bundle of recessive genes, I definitely wouldn’t meet the Gattaca standard. :)
Any malady that could get through would, in theory, be able to destroy nearly everyone. If the response that would grant immunity to future generations were a mutation with a negative side effect attached, you’ve just ended humanity (assuming any survived). We’ve lost plant species to similar.
This one example ignores a whole host of other problems with the idea.
I’d be curious to see how the definition of “defective” evolves over time in a society like that.
Yeah it would devolve to being like people with freckles or something utterly superficial eventually
Hypothetically. I’d see if I could take someone and bring them into a Truman show world without them knowing.
Isn’t this it?
I feel like it’s has to be with this timeline
gather massive amounts of stats on the ideal amount of physical punishment to mete out to children to produce the best results in adults.
Worldwide, making all coffee decaf, and not telling anyone.
You fucking monster
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I’d probably die in a car crash pretty quickly
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Hypothesis: Conservatives will refuse to believe contradicting facts regardless of punishment.
Experiment: Use increasingly painful stimulus for negative reinforcement when subjects espouse harmful views, ie racism.
I’m on the “make stupid hurt” train.
Put a hundred toddlers on an island. Leave a few older children that will disappear a few years later that are taught to fish/hunt/gather. See what kind of language develops, or what kind of civilization. How many survive?
It is VERY unethical. Add variables to other islands, such as the amount of children, and what you teach them.
You know there was a mad king who tried to do the same?
Babies just end up dying if not talked to. He also wanted to figure out the language of gods
This is somewhat similar to how Nicaraguan sign language was developed. Basically, kids at a school for the deaf invented it.
