The article I read was 'Growing Heart Cells Just for You'. This article introduced the new project; 'The Experimental Man.' In David Ewing Duncan's portion of the experiment, scientists extracted heart cells from his body through his blood stream and transported them from San Francisco to Madison on dry ice. Once they reached Madison, scientists cracked open his white blood cells and used a bio-engineered virus to reprogram the cells so that when they replicated, the results were pluripotent cells and not white blood cells. A year later, they called Duncan to the lab, where he first saw his heart cells in a dish...beating. After the cells were generated, the technicians used them to test drugs and other things that would affect the way his heart beat or worked. Scientists believe they can do similar actions with the other cells that make up the body and do it with anyone. This way, doctors will know how a drug will affect a patient before it is prescribed to them.
• What inferences/assumptions can be made about the future technology?
I believe that this future technology will allow for doctors and scientists to further their research of diseases and illness, but also their knowledge of engineered cell regrowth. This also will help with the study of drugs and the affect on the body without harming any people because they're cells regrown outside of the body and are not having tests run on while in the body.
• What surprised you the most?
What surprised me the most of this experiment was how they were able to take the cells and reprogram them to the state they are after an egg is fertilized. I didn't know this was possible, but it is by far amazing.
• What are the possibilities for the future in this area?
Scientists know for certain that the extraction of cells and regeneration can cause them to reproduce and grow the cells they're looking for. They can use these grown cells to test affects of certain drugs on the body or organ, and can look for illness or disease in the person that the cells belong to. However, there are so many possibilities with the experiments they can perform on the cells, no scientist or other professional know for certain what may become of the 'Experimental Man' project.
• Looking at the list from 2009, are there any technologies that were considered "emerging" back then that are now being used?
Yes, in 2009, the infamous Siri was considered to be an emerging technology. They expected it to be used on the computer for the internet, however, today it is used on smart phones as an easy to use and helpful assistant.
• Give any other comments you have to offer.
I feel it's necessary for us to further our technology and our knowledge, but I feel some of the emerging technology isn't needed and will just make us more dependent on the things we create. This dependence will make us lazier than we will are and we'll take it for granted more. The technology that is what we need is just simply amazing. They'll do wonders to our knowledge and will definitely help the human race.
• What inferences/assumptions can be made about the future technology?
I believe that this future technology will allow for doctors and scientists to further their research of diseases and illness, but also their knowledge of engineered cell regrowth. This also will help with the study of drugs and the affect on the body without harming any people because they're cells regrown outside of the body and are not having tests run on while in the body.
• What surprised you the most?
What surprised me the most of this experiment was how they were able to take the cells and reprogram them to the state they are after an egg is fertilized. I didn't know this was possible, but it is by far amazing.
• What are the possibilities for the future in this area?
Scientists know for certain that the extraction of cells and regeneration can cause them to reproduce and grow the cells they're looking for. They can use these grown cells to test affects of certain drugs on the body or organ, and can look for illness or disease in the person that the cells belong to. However, there are so many possibilities with the experiments they can perform on the cells, no scientist or other professional know for certain what may become of the 'Experimental Man' project.
• Looking at the list from 2009, are there any technologies that were considered "emerging" back then that are now being used?
Yes, in 2009, the infamous Siri was considered to be an emerging technology. They expected it to be used on the computer for the internet, however, today it is used on smart phones as an easy to use and helpful assistant.
• Give any other comments you have to offer.
I feel it's necessary for us to further our technology and our knowledge, but I feel some of the emerging technology isn't needed and will just make us more dependent on the things we create. This dependence will make us lazier than we will are and we'll take it for granted more. The technology that is what we need is just simply amazing. They'll do wonders to our knowledge and will definitely help the human race.
