Philosophy Wire: Squid eyes. Human legs…

The genes that make squid eyes also make your legs. [1] You are what you are. Being unique in a complex cosmos. Everything seems different in this cosmos. And yet, everything is the same. Human legs. Squid eyes. Heavy rain. Scorching sun. A cosmos speaking a lot. Only to tell you that it shouldn't be taking at all…

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Philosophy Wire: Genes from nothing… Nothingness full of something…

One key question in evolutionary biology is how novel genes arise and develop. Researchers now show how new genes and functions that are advantageous to bacteria can be selected from random DNA sequences. [1]

Genes from nowhere.
Humans from nothing.
Existence from the void of emptiness.
No, the world is not miraculous.
We just need to change the definition of nothing to something…

We hate nothing. And even though we constantly use it to refer to the cosmos and our self, we never truly believed in it. The nothing we believe in is a life giving nothingness. The void we refer to is a void giving birth to universes.

We hate nothing. For we are everything.
And even in our darkest times…
While still being blinded by sunlight…
We can still recall the Moon…
And with closed eyes. We still dream of sleepless nights…

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Philosophy Wire: Woken…

Scientists have discovered how the growth of milk-producing mammary glands is triggered during puberty. Sleeping stem cells in the mammary gland are awoken by a protein dubbed FoxP1, according to the research. [1]

Trying to learn how we learn.
Blind to the truth behind the veil of existence.
Lifeless puppets. Strings attached.

There is nothing to wake up from.
Void cosmos.
Filled with fire.
Look at the strings.

Burning.
You can dance now…
Can you?

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Philosophy Wire: DNA. Mosaics. Life.

We’re accustomed to thinking of our cells sharing an identical set of genes, faithfully copied ever since we were mere fertilized eggs. When we talk about our genome — all the DNA in our cells — we speak in the singular. But over the course of decades, it has become clear that the genome doesn’t just vary from person to person. It also varies from cell to cell. The condition is not uncommon: We are all mosaics. [1] All data point into the same direction. We are not we. There is no I. There is no self. Unless we think so. Do you feel you today? Wake up. Drink your milk. Go to work. You just destroyed a universe.

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Philosophy Wire: Changing our genes. Being human without them.

After three decades of hopes tempered by setbacks, gene therapy - the process of treating a disease by modifying a person's DNA - is no longer the future of medicine, but is part of the present-day clinical treatment toolkit. [1] We celebrate the curing of diseases. We fantasize about beating death. And yet, we are alive only because we do die. Look at you. Knowing that one day you will perish. And yet, feeling that it doesn’t matter. There you go. Without CRISPR. You just made your genes disappear…

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Philosophy Wire: Freedom. Genes. Christianity.

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2016-07-29]: Scientists discover how specific genes are to be blamed for specific human behaviors. Ranging from outbursts or rage, to lack of wish for sex, everything can be attributed to a gene. [1, 2, 3, 4] Accepting responsibility is too hard. Accepting your freedom is too hard. Humans never wanted to be free. And that is why they fought or loved Christianity so hard…

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Philosophy Wire: Mind over Genes.

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-12-22]: Researchers have constructed the first gene network that can be controlled by our thoughts. Scientists have developed a novel gene regulation method that enables thought-specific brainwaves to control the conversion of genes into proteins (gene expression). The inspiration was a game that picks up brainwaves in order to guide a ball through an obstacle course. [1]

But the mind always had powers upon matter.
How could it be any other way?
Can the lifeless control the living?
Can the alogon have influence over ellogon?
Can the conscious be controlled by the unconscious?
Small truths we are just afraid to accept.
We want to be helpless.
We want to be weak.
Once we could fly. [samans]
Now we just crawl.

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Philosophy Wire: Genes, blood, free will, suicide...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-09-17]: A blood test could detect a genetic tendency toward suicide. [1] Soon enough we will know that everything is defined by genes. Because we WANT them to...

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Philosophy Wire: Genetics. Dictatorship. Free will.

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-05-20]: People hiding their genetic test results out of fear that the insurance companies might find them out. [1] We live in the era of genes dictatorship. In the era of the eradication of the notion of free will. We have become robots. With our own will! But our denial offers the best proof for it... Let's hide it the best way we can...

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Philosophy Wire: Happiness. Success. Blood. Genes. Sweat.

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-04-15]: Happiness is something personal. What does it matter to be successful? What does it matter for you to be successful? Blood, genes or… sweat? [1] In things that most people think as important (social success, work, money etc) blood and genes are the most important. But you have to see clearly inside you in order to find the truly important things. And you don't need to sweat at all in order to find them. Happiness is readily available next to you. The only thing you must do is see it. And understand that this is the only component of "successful". You are the others. Happiness is in the others.  Love each other.

And God said, Love your enemy,
And I obeyed Him & loved myself.
Kahlil Gibran

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Philosophy Wire: DNA & "Me"...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-12-08]: If different DNA sequences exist into our body, they what makes me ME? [1] The more we understand our material nature, the more we realize that the immaterial one is the more important…

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Philosophy Wire: Prejudice genes...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-08-30]: Two twins with atheist parents who turned into religion. And the excuse found by... (atheists?) "scientists"? It was the genes fault! [1] Hahaha!!! I suppose it is not the genes fault when someone is an atheist... ;)

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Philosophy Wire: Genes, Supreme Court, common logic...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-06-29]: US Supreme Court decided that human genes cannot be patented. [source: web news] We have such a lack of education today, that someone must be a Supreme Court judge in order for us to hear something derived from simple common knowledge...

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Philosophy Wire: Stop thinking! I will make you fall in love!

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-06-11]:  Gene switches make prairie voles fall in love. [source: Nature] What more proof do you need you doubting Thomases that we are just dirt and... genes? Stop thinking! Start believing!

 

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Philosophy Wire: Cross-species genetics and the dim lines of definitions…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-05-06]: If cross-species genetics is possible [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8], shouldn’t we think again the definition of “species”?

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Philosophy Wire: Aliens, DNA, assumptions…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-05-05]: A weird nano-skeleton which was thought to be alien, was finally found to be human since it had human DNA. [source: web news] Of course all these are based on the irrational assumption that aliens must have different DNA than we have… And we must always be careful of our assumptions…

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Philosophy Wire: Lamo - The sheep dog.

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-04-26]:

A sheep raised with dogs.
It is now a dog.
Not "like" a dog.
It plays with other dogs, wears a collar, fetches sticks and even tries to bark... [1]
It IS a dog...
Mind prevails over genes...

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Philosophy Wire: Ethnicities, DNA, racism...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-04-22]: Research has revealed that ethnicity may influence antibody genes: Immunity-related DNA sections could actually vary depending on ethnicity. [source: Science Daily] I am really shocked at this racist conclusion. How can ethnicities be "different"? Simple conclusions now need special wording ("could") and extensive research on the fear that someone might call a scientist fascist. Common logic replaced by the oppression of the stupid fears of ignorant majorities...

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Philosophy Wire: The Nothing, genes, Stupidity

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2012-10-25]: Scientists try to convince us that placebo effect is actually coded into our genes [source: BBC News]. That is what it really means to be blind: Its not that you do not see how mind can affect body. You do not see the mind at all! Just genes! Everywhere! Hmmmm… So our genes are programmed to react to nothing and make us heal when affected by… nothing. Cool. -

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Philosophy Wire: Clocks, biological clocks, genes, obsessions…

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2012-04-07]: New discoveries related to genes controlling the REV-ERBα and REV-ERBβ receptors provide new insight into the human biological clocks [source: web news]. Weird creature man is: he likes naming things with names which are familiar to him. Human body has specific functions and we insist on naming them “clock”. We like time. We see “time” everywhere. However whenever we hear about such discoveries we must always remember this (besides the obvious, that “time” does not exist): our behaviour is not determined by our genes! If that was the case, then alarm clock makers would be out of business long time ago…

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