From:	justinf@****.caltech.edu (Justin Fang)
Subject:	Re: New plot
Date:	Tue, 19 Mar 1996 12:48:22 -0800 (PST)

Mark Neidengard writes:
> According to Evan Hughes:
> > I don't think the bod is a problem so much as the brain (etc). If
> > you're talking about fertilizing a transplanted egg and letting it grow,
> > then no problem. the trouble starts when you start trying to _BUILD_ a
> > genome. It's big. Really damn big. The Human Genome project is supposed to
> > be complete sometime in 2020 -> 2040, but thats ignoring all of the
> > introns (I'm probably wrong here. I usually am. =). And since in Srun,
> > most metagenes are contained in introns, you have to be careful about all
> > that detritus... *pause*

> Well, I don't think Justin is talking about building a new genome from
> scratch. It's more like starting with the human genome and then making
> tweaks. No different than trying to eradicate certain hereditary disorders,
> but potentially a lot more involved, especially as the degree of change
> increases.

> > Of course, if you were to try _adapting_ an existing genome very
> > carefully, then you would get much less dramatic results, but they would
> > probably work.

They're not starting from scratch; they're starting with carefully selected
already existing human genomes and making changes: cut-and-paste from other
genomes, correct errors, snip annoying recessives, and otherwise alter things.
Then hope the entire thing still hangs together. I didn't say it was easy or
cheap... :)

> > In Srun, characters also have "spirits". Could one of the problems
> > with creating 'life' be that the spirit is an external entity (ie, derived
> > from the maternal parent? Paternal? Both? A rabbit? =) and is not simply
> > created by the genes? (OF course, if this is true, 98% of my plots are
> > fuqued)

Possible, but I don't see any real reason to belive this; it's not mentioned
in any FASA publication I've seen and it would mess up my plot. Until I hear
otherwise, I'm going to assume it's not true.

Justin Fang (justinf@****.caltech.edu)
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