I love science. I love what wonderful things science can and has done for mankind (and me). I love science because I learned at an early age THROUGH science how to make rockets go BOOM.
I also loves me my science fiction. Sci-Fi has been a wonderful counter balance to the ever building momentum that real science creates. The works of Jules Verne are laden with cautionary tales and plots to demonstrate both the incredible benefits and risks of our ever increasing knowledge of... SCIENCE. Most people of the X and Y generation don't give much thought to the reality that most of the science we live with (and in some cases, kept alive by) was only created within one or two generations! So it doesn't really surprise me that some scienists (whom I mostly, almost always respect) go and do what appears to be a potentially very dangerous and knuckheaded thing!
Scientists Bring Fossil Virus Back To Life!I mean come on! Didn't they watch Jurassic Park?!!?
In all seriousness, I am all for pushing science past the comfort level of 99.999% of most people on the planet. That's when you know its good! However, lets remember some common sense about things that can wipe out the species (read: me) . For those in the scientfic community contemplatings such things here's a short list of things to keep in mind.
- We are all currently stuck here on the planet, so there's no "do overs" or quick escapes.
- Bringing anything back from the past without the proper amount of
a) firepower
b) intelligence, or
c) rapid way to blow it into space,
is a certain way to let what ever you brought back to life, do whatever it wants.(read: kill us all). - Think Big! Start with large carnivorous animals and not viri or bacterium. Why? They're easier to spot and follow their trail of inevitable destruction!