A Mixed Bag Today….

Once realized these breakthroughs will accomplish in short hours what present day techniques couldn't do in months. Amazing capabilities. Hope they stick with it and not let the money hungry gain control.

Hope some of those ideas make it to market.  Before there is no market, that is.  Thx, Doc.

Interesting information from Popular Mechanics--thanks for the post, and ditto Daiwa.

It hurts to think that with all the genius behind these breakthroughs might simply go undeveloped because of shrinking markets.... all the suffering that could be alleviated. Makes me quite sad.

it is not necessary to be too sad.

You can always move to Australia - here it is not (quite) that bad.   We do have a (relatively) well working Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) which covers certain costly things (like medicines and some treatments).

Best regards,
Steven.

Wish I could, StevenAus.... and thanks, bluesky2012.

There's so much happening in the medical field now - this is just the tip of the iceberg, really. It's both scary and exhilirating. And a little sad for us old geezers out there that could have used some of these things twenty years ago.

As it will always be.  My dad died of heart disease @ 54 in 1971, when interventional cardiology was still in its infancy & available, crude as it was at the time, in only a few academic centers, and long before dozens of pharmocologic advances we now take for granted.  He was born a decade too early.  Many of my patients have had their lives extended by 25-30 years thanks to those advances in treatment; how things have changed in a single generation and what life might have been like with him here into his 80's.

That is probably one of the best statements made (the bolded one).  What was experimental a few years ago is routine now.  and it was unheard of before then.  it is what is driving Obamacare, but is just a pipe dream.  Man will never be immortal nor medicine free.  We do not like it when loved ones are taken from us early, but it has always happened and will always happen.  And no promises or lies are going to change that.

Agreed.  However when viewed on a money-spent vs. positive outcomes basis, some countries get better scores than others.  Australia is not perfect by any means, but it has some things (like subsidization of certain medicines and treatments, via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) that are very good for a country to have for its citizens.  Unfortunately, the US has some of the lowest positive outcomes results on a national scale based on the amount that is spent on healthcare (some would say that the general system in the West is better named as "sickcare").

Best regards,
Steven.

FWIW, that is subject to serious & legitimate debate - controlling for virtually uncontrollable variables, cultural differences, varying definitions of terms (especially infant mortality), et nauseum cetera, all make it very difficult to get to apples-to-apples comparisons.

Despite (because of?) our 'sickcare', life expectancy here is at an all-time high, and if you should, perish the thought, come down with any of a fairly large number of specific diseases, you'll live longer if you're here.

Other than that, our system really sucks.

I wasn't talking about healthcare vs. sickcare just in the US - I meant all Western countries, who tend to treat you when you're sick rather than try to prevent you getting sick.  And yes, I take it that there are many variables in those type of "score" comparisons, with various results.  I just know that I wouldn't be able to afford decent healthcare in the US (plus I wouldn't have the support I do from the Australian government).

Best regards,
Steven.

I really like this one:

17. Nanoscale Adhesive

Gecko feet are covered with nano-size hairs that exploit intermolecular forces, allowing the lizards to stick firmly to surfaces. By replicating this nanoscale topography, MIT scientists have developed an adhesive that can seal wounds or patch a hole caused by a stomach ulcer. The adhesive is elastic, waterproof and made of material that breaks down as the injury heals.

Read more: 20 New Biotech Breakthroughs that Will Change Medicine - Popular Mechanics

As cool as sealing up wounds might be, I think they're failing to mention it will allow them to make people who can stick to walls with their hands and feet like Spider-Man LoL. How cool would that be? Really damn cool!!!

Also, Doc, I think you might enjoy a current video series on Hulu that's covering the TED (conference). TED stands for "Technology Entertainment and Design". It's very enlightening. I especially like this one that talks about our most recent advances in Genetic Manipulation. I honestly thought some of this was still more in the realm of Sci Fi, but this is Real. It's kind of scary actually. We've managed to make "Glow in the Dark" pets....seriously. There are glow in the dark fish, mice, kittens, puppies, and even monkeys. I highly recommend watching this one video at least, even if you skip the rest of the series.

Paul Root Wolpe: It's Time to Question Bioengineering

You can also catch all the TEDTalks on Hulu right HERE. Non linked link: http://www.hulu.com/tedtalks

Note: It really starts getting interesting at 5 minutes in.

Thinking more about it, there are some serious Ethical Issues involved here. Especially when they can now take away a creatures free will and control it's brain via computer. Don't believe that? It's true. Watch the end of the video above. They've done it with insects and even a rat. They're calling it a "Robo-Rat" and they're also calling it a "Organic Robot". The experiment they talk about with the monkey controlling a robotic arm is pretty insane. This research is leading us to electronics we'll soon be able to control with our thoughts alone. The monkey they talk about became the First Creature on Earth to have 3 fully controllable arms. The last one being a robotic arm of course, but it was still controlling it with it's brain just like it's two real arms.

Then there's the Eel Brain, a Living Eel Brain, inside a microchip. It's a fully living brain they've managed to keep alive to use in the chip. If they're doing crazy stuff like this now with animals, how long will it be until they start human experiments? Then there's the Worlds First artificially created cell. That "cell" was the First Artificial Creature ever created. It doesn't have living "parents". It's parents were a computer. So, we have LIFE created in a lab with chemical DNA. Artificial Life....the ramifications of this are MIND BOGGLING to say the least.

Seriously, watch the video I posted above. It's nuts, scary, and brings up the distinct ethical problems we need to be thinking about now as a society.

I absolutely agree, RavenX.

Using plant/animal products doesn't necessarily mean violating them [another in our infinitely long acts of violence]... sequencing their genes to produce that substance [gecko glue] isn't really terrible. The robo rat is. "All's well in the name of science" doesn't wash.

WebGizmos is fond of saying, "Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should." I find myself in agreement with that more and more.

Indeed, completely agreed. I've also used that saying that WebGizmo uses as well.

I think people are missing the most obvious thing here when he's talking about life being "Created" artificially. That proves that organic life can be created with chemicals, peptides and mitochondrial dna, in nature. If it can be done in nature, and done artificially by us, then shouldn't that be all the proof that's needed to disprove that we were created by "God"?

While it doesn't prove or disprove the existence of god, it does at least prove that it's highly possible that life came into existence spontaneously in nature through the random convergence of chemicals in nature, such as the chemicals found in undersea smoking vents at incredibly deep depths.

No... not in the least. The two could have happened independently - The Theory of Evolution was arrived at be Wallace and Darwin independently and almost simultaneously. Wallace deferred to Darwin because he did the research. Wallace came by the theory while looking at a spider web one afternoon. Amazing, but true. Just because we can do it does not 'prove' G-d did not.

Neither proves nor disproves the other.

That I can agree with. It does not however, disprove the other.

There're so many possibilities, RavenX... especially those not found in simple a --> b linear, causal thinking.

By the way, on a more personal note, I hope you're feeling better and that the insurance hassle straightened out.

Thanks Doc, I appreciate that my friend. Unfortunately the health department is still screwing me over. Every time I've called or went down there for the last 5 weeks I've gotten the same run-around. They say "I'm sorry sir, your account is still updating or in limbo. We've called and emailed the account company and that's what they tell us. If anything changes you'll know right away"....my ass I'll know right away. Honestly, I think who ever is in charge of signing off on things like this saw that they were going to have to pay for another CAT Scan and then 2 more surgeries and decided not to. In another 2 and a half months my time on the card will run out, then I'll have to re-apply, hope I get approved, and hope they'll ACTUALLY Do Something about it and get me in to get this stuff done before I die. The only thing I got going for me right now is my family doctor has taken pity on me and upped my pain meds, but, he's getting fed up waiting on the county to help me too and I know if I don't make some kind of head-way on this stuff soon he'll cut me off.

You need to contact your congressman/senator. You also need to contact a local paper and try to interest them in your story.

I hear this all too many times, and I am angered and sickened by it.

I agree with the Doc.  Raven, kick up a big stink if you have to.  We don't want to lose you!

Best regards,
Steven.

RavenX, perhaps its time to a) visit your congressman, and do a video and put it on u tube- nad hope it goes viral

I wonder, I know that man will never ve immortal nor medicine free, but can the free market be then trusted with peoples' health and lives, like almost everything else it takes care of?

I appreciate it guys, thank you. It means a lot knowing I have real friends out there.

I really like the idea of posting a Youtube video and then emailing it to your Congressperson and Senator. You might also consider sending a letter to your local newspaper and radio station.

Even big news chains/networks pick up on these vids, RavenX. Emailing CBS, NBC, CNN, etc. couldn't hurt... if you can't get any traction with your congressperson.