Mary Meets Dolly

Tuesday, February 26. 2013

BioTalk, Episode 3: Lance Armstrong Cheater or Transhumanism Pioneer?

In BioTalk Episode 3, Chelsea, from Reflections of a Paralytic, and I talk about sport, transhumanism, and what acceptance of performance enhancing drugs may mean for our kids and how they view sports. Check it out. I think it is a conversation worth having.

Posted by Rebecca Taylor in Transhumanism at 10:13 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Tuesday, February 12. 2013

Giving Up Blogging for Lent

I have been reading my friend Matt Swaim's book Prayer in the Digital Age. Matt discusses the false sense of urgency that the Internet and social media bring to our lives. He writes:

The digital culture demands an answer, and when we finally unplug from it, there is a sense of helplessness and a feeling we've failed somehow, even if we can't put our finger on who or what we've failed. All we know is that there is something out there that we should have done something about five minutes ago.

That passage seems to sum up my relationship with the digital over the last year or so. Sometimes the Internet feels to me like a giant ball and chain that keeps me from more important endeavors.

With that in mind, I have decided for Lent this year I need to get my relationship with the digital world back in check. I could simply give up Facebook like I did last year, but I know this year that that will not be enough. I will still be wasting many hours following random Twitter links, reading long articles about advances in biotech, and trolling com boxes to see if I can discover the latest zeitgeist with the hopes of discovering what to write about next.

So for Lent this year, I have decided to give up blogging. This is not just for spiritual reasons, but for physical ones as well. Lately, my lower back has telling me that endless hours researching, writing, and polishing posts on the computer is not good. It needs as much of a break from my routine as my brain and my soul. (My children were also excited to know that for the next few weeks, they won't be seeing my head pointed at my computer screen with that blank look on my face as much as they usually do.)

I will be praying over the next 40 days that my respite will mean a renewed vigor for my mission, bringing biotech under the light of the teachings of our Church.

See you in April!

Posted by Rebecca Taylor at 10:14 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

Wednesday, February 6. 2013

Biologists in China Create Neural Stem Cells From Urine

Back in the 17th century, Hennig Brand, a German Alchemist, boiled a lot of urine looking for a way to make gold. He instead discovered phosphorus.

Today, scientist may have turned urine into a different kind of gold, stem cell gold. Researchers in China have created neural stem cells from the cells found in urine.

Continue reading at LifeNews >>

Posted by Rebecca Taylor in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells at 08:45 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)

Tuesday, February 5. 2013

Lance Armstrong: Pioneer or Cheater?

After Lance Armstrong admitted that he cheated with performance enhancing drugs, I was waiting for the transhumanists to claim him as their own. It didn't take long. The title of this Wired piece says it all: "Lance Armstrong should be celebrated as a pioneer in human enhancement."

The premise? Sure Armstrong broke the rules, but maybe it is the rules that are wrong and not Armstrong. Maybe we should allow and promote human enhancements in sport so that they will be safer, not just for the athlete, but for us coach-potatoes as well.

Continue reading at Creative Minority Report >>

Posted by Rebecca Taylor in Transhumanism at 11:12 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

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