On Wednesday 07 August 2002 12:11 pm, you wrote:
> Listen, Wallie: Every code (and the common potato doesn't have 23
> chromosomes, but 444, although I'm not aware of their length relative to
> ours) will eventually come up against the adamantine wall of absolute
> optimization. Not if, but when, that happens, I hope our optimized
> brains, in concert with the best computers and robots which those
> optimized brains can either construct or set on the path of AI evolution,
> are able to augment our DNA-constructed modules with those that were
> not developed under restrictions. Of course, this will not happen
> during my lifetime. But I still give it a good chance of happening.
Not happen in your life time? That sounds very pesimistic, considering the
recent breakt hroughs in mapping the human genome, and the advacnes in
Genetic [Algorithm|Programming] usage.
GAs and GPs are being used today to improve technology from all different
sectors, from aircraft designs to vacuum cleaners. It's only a matter of time
until people use them for medical purposes (instead of running thousands of
expensive trials for different medications, GAs can be used to optimize
current medicines and run a simulation of their effect against a certain
virus/bacteria/ailment).
Once we have a greater understanding of what different genes do, we can
simulate their effects on life (given enough processing power - we have a
good enough udnerstanding of chemistry (screw bio-chemistry) to simulate
human growth in a virtual world, shame it would require too much processing
power) to do this.
The bulk of the understanding exists... it's just a question of how long do
you want to wait for the technology to get fast enough?
-- === Mark 'Nurgle' Collins http://www.thisisnurgle.org.uk Stupid IRC quote of the <variable time period>: <phoenix> insider, you'll have to excuse nurgle, he's the epitamy of evil
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