Questions tagged [genetic-engineering]
For questions about artificially modifying the DNA of a life form.
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Could you theoretically make a Human-like/Human-descended species breathe chlorine instead of oxygen?
What would be the major problems/issues from switching a Human lifeform from O2-based respiration to a Chlorine one?
Would said lifeform require not only adaptations to the respiratory system, but ...
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Why can't I activate bloodline abilities despite access to proper genetic material?
I am Incognito, a mad scientist who studies the bloodline abilities of specific clans. My research has led me to a small village which hosts a powerful family called the uchiha clan. These individuals ...
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Biological mechanism for complex life to operate in high temperatures
How could complex life like humans of or other animals evolve to exist in temperatures in excess of 100 degrees centigrade. This does not need to be natural as long as it can in theory be achieved and ...
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How to modify DNA without using computers?
I would like for a civilization to be very good at bio-engineering, but I do not know how they would be able to modify DNA to suit their purposes, with greater things than breeding can bring. For ...
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genetically engineered humans breathe underwater at extreme depths
Assume humans have the technology and motivation to genetically engineer humans capable of breathing underwater and on land. Also assume for this example mechanical technology is somewhat constrained ...
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Potential downsides to a super-soldier heart-rate safety mechanism
Setting: Earth, no more than a century in the future.
Premise: Certain US soldiers volunteer to receive genetic modifications that grant increased strength, endurance, and healing capabilities. Most ...
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What would be the effect of introducing genetically modified chimpanzees into human society?
I'm reading this article on speech in animals, and it made an interesting claim: chimpanzees and other non-human great apes posses the anatomy needed to vocalize words, they just don't use it to do so....
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Is it possible for a genetically modified species to have bones made from a non natural material?
Now, let me explain. The context is that I have a species called the Aviares that have very brittle bones, so they can fly. Is it possible for them to be genetically modified to have their bones be ...
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How to make GM/GMO children exceptionally loyal to one another?
In the not so distant future a man builds a remote doom fortress to design, create, and raise GM/GMO children. His plan is to nurture geniuses who can enact his dastardly plan to wipe out humanity, ...
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With genetic modification, can we make naturally occurring popcorn?
I thought it would be interesting if someone made naturally occurring popcorn. Like if we made this genetically modified corn reached a certain temperature, the kernels would dry out and explode. but ...
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How can the human body be optimized, yet still be mostly human?
I've been curious for a while now about how much room we have left for evolution as a species, or at the very least, as a people, due to one of my projects involving genetically-engineered superhuman ...
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How to build a star-sized humanoid superorganism? [closed]
For whatever reason, humans in the far future want to build a star-scale humanoid creature. This massive lifeform would completely envelop a star in its chest area, turning the star into its "...
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Could a genetically modified plant become a house?
I was checking out art made by Hyrotrioskjan on Deviantart and found his Nea project. One art piece features large genetically modified plants that are able to essentially house a community. These ...
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How to stop genetically modified bacteria from creating a catastrophic greenhouse effect?
I'm here on behalf of the Antarctic People's Liberation Front. Some call me a terrorist, but really, I'm just trying to build a better life for my people. Earth is a beautiful place, full of bright ...
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GM SPORTS: A species designed for GOLF
The year is [Random number between 2100 and 3000]. I own a state-of-the-art GM laboratory with capacities to create any possible species, almost like in Spore Creature Creator. For my own amusement, I ...
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Genetically altering soldiers to be capable of doing missions in an aquatic environment?
So, in the mid 25th century, humanity has become a space faring race, with about 10,000 planets under control of Earth. There are many different ecosystems on different planets, from normal ones, like ...
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Genetically engineering protection against flashbangs?
I'm referring specifically to the "flash" part of the flashbang (although advice on the bang part would also be appreciated).
One animal feature besides night vision I thought might be useful to ...
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Maximizing crop yields
Ladies and gentleman, today we were summoned by the Agro-nerd council with one unique mission: we must take a single acre of land and feed the largest amount of people possible. But this isn't your ...
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How can existing cattle and poultry farming (housing/processing) be modified to accommodate human food stock?
This is a follow up question to the one below:
How can existing methods of plumping, genetic modification, and gmo feeding be altered to accommodate the need for plumper, meatier human food stock?
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Non-Cancer deadly illness affecting 10-13-yr-old girls, without genetic engineering insta-cure?
Like Non-Cancer terminal illness that can affect young (age 10-13) girls?, I have a major girl that needs to have a likely-terminal, repeatedly hospitalized, disease, but has a healthy sister. And it ...
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Would Simultaneously Hermaphroditic Humans Still be "Men" and "Women"?
When looking exclusively at the muscular and skeletal systems of male and female humans, on average, we'd find what scientists call "sexual dimorphism". Even their voices are sexually dimorphic--...
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Is it possible to create an organism that is completely immune to radiation?
Radiation is the ultimate bane of all organic life. Its particles punch holes in our DNA, causing mutations and giving us cancer. But, is there a way to make an organism that is unable to get ...
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Can we use GM technology to make humans regenerate?
The axolotl is a critically endangered amphibian with the ability to regenerate limbs, organs, and even parts of its brain.
In an age where genetic modification is being used more frequently than ...
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Turn everything into instinct [closed]
Looking at a person and recognizing their face as something human is a calculation done automatically by the brain that took 61 years of study to replicate into a camera. Some people are born without ...
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Human survival without eating
In this question, the most "realistic" idea is to have the human have an oxygen tank strapped to his back and connected to his nose at all times (preferably through a mask of some sort). However, this ...
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Radiotrophic Fungus Organelles
The question is basically summed up in the title but here is some context:
Context
I got a character who has been genetically engineered to handle high doses of radiation exposure (50,000 grays) and I ...
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Is a Biological whip a practical weapon? Pros and Cons?
I see a lot of this stuff in softcore fiction or high fantasy. A character or alien has some kind of bind or whipping ability, Either it's ribbons, bandages, Tentacles, Chains, vines, etc. Usually, ...
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What would radiation-hardened human colonists look like?
I am designing a future history setting where humans develop the technologies of genetic engineering long before those needed for terraforming, yet at the same time they have access to some form of ...
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Is it possible to engineer airborne Ebola?
In my world, a mad scientist wanted to end humanity and he was looking for something with a high mortality rate. He found Ebola. But it's not airborne though.
Could it be possible to genetically ...
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How could an AI be in the real world organically and humanely (not in a robotic body)? [closed]
Say I have some artificial intelligence characters in a virtual reality world that my human characters have bonded with in ways of friendship, romance, etc before they find out they're AI. How would ...
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How would a plant like entity use animals?
The land is covered in structures of green coloring. Some look like igloos and some have veins pulsating and moving slowly with membranes which seem to almost be breathing the way lungs do. Some of ...
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How would a "perfect" female fighter look like? [closed]
If one could "design" a female fighter, for example, by genetic engineering, what would be the optimal physical conditions? For example, is there a perfect size and weight? Would it really ...
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Little Big Planet
Doctor Eric Von Dufe may be a mad scientist, but he still has to work on his evil side. His latest plan? Create small versions of large animals and large versions of small animals. Assuming he has all ...
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What would an erosion resistance ecological system look like?
I was thinking about how given a whole host of sci-fi scenarios, you end up with landmass but no form of geological activity or plate tectonics, and so ensuring you end up with a lot of scenarios ...
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Biologically classifying a gene-spliced creature?
In my world, new wildlife and creatures have emerged due to the presence of radiation, genetic engineering, and have lead to new mutants and dangerous beasts stalking the Wastelands.
A scientist in my ...
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Could women become as strong as men while still having less muscle mass? [closed]
My story includes a government plan to create woman who are as strong as an average man. The biggest factor in the sex-strength difference is muscle mass as far as I know. However, the ratio of fast-...
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What would be the consequences of these biological changes to a human
So let's say you changed a human's DNA to give him:
a thick exoskeleton that is a lot like that of a mantis shrimp (to make him bullet-proof)
very small holes all over his body to use to breathe ...
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How could a genetically modified creature survive with only partial brain function?
How could a genetically modified creature survive with only partial brain function? Theses are large (8'8) genetically modified humanoids. The brain is also larger. They are also surgically augmented....
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Plant bioforming for use around Jupiter
I'm sketching out a scenario for a relatively far-futuristic story wherein humans have spread throughout the solar system, using the extreme ends of bioforming and gene-splicing to supplement their ...
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Is it medically possible to give someone super strength with gene editing?
I'm trying to find a reasonable medical explanation for a normal-looking human having around 10x the strength of the general population, defined for the sake of easily-measurable goals as the amount ...
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What element could be used on a fictional metal-poor planet for biological oxygen exchange?
I'm working on a hard sf novel about humans being forced to survive on a metal-poor planet. They have to take dietary metal supplements at first but eventually a bio-engineer rigs the biochemical ...
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How do I create a "love potion"?
Lets say in 2069 a big interstellar corporation needs to create a "love potion" to subdue a religious pacifist rebel group that refuses to reproduce until they get independence.
This love potion ...
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Humanoid species that can consciously "read" each other's DNA: plausibility and limitations
My premise is that there was a technologically advanced human-equivalent civilisation that eventually obliterated itself with weapons of mass destruction, but left behind a survivalist sect obsessed ...
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Cuisine for future enhanced humans
I just saw the new NileRed video on transforming cotton into cotton candy.
I remembered a story I read a long time ago that had a throw-away topic, not part of the main story but just something that ...
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Organic prosthetic limbs
I recently saw a video about axolotls, and in the video they say that a limb from axolotl can be placed on another axolotl and it would attach itself. could we genetically engineer limbs like that to ...
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First steps of a lab-grown soldier program
After the Paris Convention of 2037, robots in warfare have been globally forbidden in use of primary or secondary combat roles, and across the Earth nations began to disassemble their automated units. ...
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How could powerful, roughly humanoid but difficult-to-control creatures be used in combat? [closed]
How could a large amount of powerful roughly humanoid but difficult to control creatures be used? They are available in large amounts as by by products of creating more effective & useable ...
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A plausable explanation of how life is created with digital DNA
I recently read that not only would a creatures digital DNA need to be stored but its mitochondria and microbiomes DNA needs to be stored.
A previous questions answers mentions epigenetic structures, ...
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Will bionanotechnology conserve humanity?
In distant future major breakthrough in bionanotechnology means longer life expectancy and free from diseases such as cold and cancer, billions of nanites flowing inside our body constantly repairs ...
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Strength/muscle mass limit for a human based creature?
So, in my world, I have a species of human-based mutant creatures called "Screamers". Genetically modified Homo Sapiens, these Screamers are one of the most dangerous beasts in the Wasteland....
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