Comments on: Biology and Self-Repair http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/19/biology-and-self-repair/ Sat, 20 Apr 2013 10:44:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Low Math, Meekly Interacting http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/19/biology-and-self-repair/#comment-72298 Low Math, Meekly Interacting Fri, 23 Sep 2011 02:17:18 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7460#comment-72298 @15 I think the cellular replication paradigm is the best. If I had to bet on an approach, I'd say invent a relatively simple "cell" that can assemble with copies of itself into a variety of useful machines, including one that can manufacture more "cells". The ensemble of cells could fly around doing interesting things, stopping periodically to reassemble into a little cell factory to replace worn out or damaged cells. @15 I think the cellular replication paradigm is the best. If I had to bet on an approach, I’d say invent a relatively simple “cell” that can assemble with copies of itself into a variety of useful machines, including one that can manufacture more “cells”. The ensemble of cells could fly around doing interesting things, stopping periodically to reassemble into a little cell factory to replace worn out or damaged cells.

]]> By: Kumar http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/19/biology-and-self-repair/#comment-72297 Kumar Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:03:28 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7460#comment-72297 Brings back memories of a failed attempt getting into this sort of work! Learning from biology and making cool molecular constructs. Fascinating to think about... but not good to write as your statement of purpose in a grad school essay ;) Brings back memories of a failed attempt getting into this sort of work! Learning from biology and making cool molecular constructs. Fascinating to think about… but not good to write as your statement of purpose in a grad school essay ;)

]]> By: Cells Repairing Themselves | Cosmic Variance | Theoretical Physics http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/19/biology-and-self-repair/#comment-72296 Cells Repairing Themselves | Cosmic Variance | Theoretical Physics Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:20:03 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7460#comment-72296 [...] google_ad_slot = "4185208288"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; Speaking of self-repair, here’s a fascinating new findingfrom Malin Hernebring in Sweden. Here’s the technical paper, [...] [...] google_ad_slot = "4185208288"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; Speaking of self-repair, here’s a fascinating new findingfrom Malin Hernebring in Sweden. Here’s the technical paper, [...]

]]> By: Brian Too http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/19/biology-and-self-repair/#comment-72295 Brian Too Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:08:28 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7460#comment-72295 @6. Kernal, Actually biology uses both repair and replication. My understanding is that repair is heavily used at sub-cellular scales. DNA is frequently repaired for instance. However if the damage is too great and the cell dies, or is killed by the immune system, then replacement becomes the go-to option. Having a structure or system consisting of large numbers of identical cell types is very useful from an organism maintenance perspective. @6. Kernal,

Actually biology uses both repair and replication. My understanding is that repair is heavily used at sub-cellular scales. DNA is frequently repaired for instance. However if the damage is too great and the cell dies, or is killed by the immune system, then replacement becomes the go-to option.

Having a structure or system consisting of large numbers of identical cell types is very useful from an organism maintenance perspective.

]]> By: Overcoming Bias : Adapt Or Start Over? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/19/biology-and-self-repair/#comment-72294 Overcoming Bias : Adapt Or Start Over? Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:30:53 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7460#comment-72294 [...] Living organisms … can, in a wide variety of circumstances, repair themselves. … Which brings up something that has always worried me about nanotechnology … tiny machines that have been heroically constructed … just seem so darn fragile. … surely one has to worry about the little buggers breaking down. … So what you really want is microscopic machinery that is robust enough to repair itself. Fortunately, this problem has already been solved at least once: it’s called “life.” … This is why my utterly underinformed opinion is that the biggest advances will come not from nanotechnology, but from synthetic biology. (more) [...] [...] Living organisms … can, in a wide variety of circumstances, repair themselves. … Which brings up something that has always worried me about nanotechnology … tiny machines that have been heroically constructed … just seem so darn fragile. … surely one has to worry about the little buggers breaking down. … So what you really want is microscopic machinery that is robust enough to repair itself. Fortunately, this problem has already been solved at least once: it’s called “life.” … This is why my utterly underinformed opinion is that the biggest advances will come not from nanotechnology, but from synthetic biology. (more) [...]

]]> By: Cells Repairing Themselves | Cosmic Variance | Discover Magazine http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/19/biology-and-self-repair/#comment-72293 Cells Repairing Themselves | Cosmic Variance | Discover Magazine Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:26:22 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7460#comment-72293 [...] of self-repair, here’s a fascinating new finding from Malin Hernebring in Sweden. Here’s the technical [...] [...] of self-repair, here’s a fascinating new finding from Malin Hernebring in Sweden. Here’s the technical [...]

]]> By: Bob Flisser http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/19/biology-and-self-repair/#comment-72292 Bob Flisser Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:54:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7460#comment-72292 You have the same cold I do, at the same time. Anyway, I thought the idea of nanobots was that they're supposed to be like bugs: quantity over quality. If thousands of them are deployed for a specific task, it doesn't matter if a few break down. Or put another way: many of them are expected to break down, which is why they should be delivered in large quantities. You have the same cold I do, at the same time. Anyway, I thought the idea of nanobots was that they’re supposed to be like bugs: quantity over quality. If thousands of them are deployed for a specific task, it doesn’t matter if a few break down. Or put another way: many of them are expected to break down, which is why they should be delivered in large quantities.

]]> By: Dorothy Gale http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/19/biology-and-self-repair/#comment-72291 Dorothy Gale Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:22:20 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7460#comment-72291 At some level, you could say that self-repair does not require life. For instance, we have all (I hope!) played with crystal growing kits. It's like having a little crystal that fixes itself and then just grows. No intelligent design here, and yet self-healing and growth. Think about it! At some level, you could say that self-repair does not require life. For instance, we have all (I hope!) played with crystal growing kits. It’s like having a little crystal that fixes itself and then just grows. No intelligent design here, and yet self-healing and growth. Think about it!

]]> By: Greg Davidson http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/19/biology-and-self-repair/#comment-72290 Greg Davidson Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:13:33 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7460#comment-72290 Given a modular design, a long model lifetime and an unrestricted replacement parts market you can "repair" a product and keep it in mint condition by simply replacing warn-out parts. Building repair capability into most products is much less efficient than making use of external production facilities. Self-diagnostic capability is very useful so you know when it's time to replace something. Also important is to have each component designed for easy disassembly into recyclable elements. Most of our products wear out and cannot be economically repaired because manufacturers and allied powerful interests want them to. As personal object printers aka desktop fabbers become affordable I will gradually upgrade the manufactured items in my environment to systems with modular open-source designs. Eventually we will move to nanotech for just about everything and it will work much better than engineering biological systems which are stuck with architectures that are unrelated to our needs. Given a modular design, a long model lifetime and an unrestricted replacement parts market you can “repair” a product and keep it in mint condition by simply replacing warn-out parts. Building repair capability into most products is much less efficient than making use of external production facilities. Self-diagnostic capability is very useful so you know when it’s time to replace something. Also important is to have each component designed for easy disassembly into recyclable elements. Most of our products wear out and cannot be economically repaired because manufacturers and allied powerful interests want them to. As personal object printers aka desktop fabbers become affordable I will gradually upgrade the manufactured items in my environment to systems with modular open-source designs. Eventually we will move to nanotech for just about everything and it will work much better than engineering biological systems which are stuck with architectures that are unrelated to our needs.

]]> By: spyder http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/09/19/biology-and-self-repair/#comment-72289 spyder Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:46:04 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=7460#comment-72289 I suppose, once we figure out the gene sequencing for human consciousness, we have the capacity to put that into anything we want. Current SciFi edition! I suppose, once we figure out the gene sequencing for human consciousness, we have the capacity to put that into anything we want. Current SciFi edition!

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