Recent comments in /f/Futurology

crowsaboveme t1_jaa9nnw wrote

Rule 6 - Comment Quality

Comments must be on topic, contribute to the discussion and be of sufficient length. Comments that dismiss well-established science without compelling evidence are a distraction to discussion of futurology and may be removed.

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QristopherQuixote t1_jaa9dha wrote

We are more likely to be able to grow and 3d print teeth with stem cell grown pulp and nerves. Modern dentistry would become live tooth replacement as opposed to fixing decayed teeth. Multiple biotech firms have already started prototyping this approach.

The risk of selectively turning genes on and off to grow new teeth are numerous. First, cancer... did I say cancer? Second, older humans don't have the same tissue resiliency, and it is possible if not likely gums may be irreparably damaged by growing new teeth. Finally, the teeth themselves may not develop properly, multiplying the risk for things like orthodontics, TMJ, partial tooth repair, etc.

A tooth that is grown to perfectly fit the existing socket and mouth mechanics that could be successfully transplanted appears to me to be the next best option.

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colintbowers t1_jaa9br1 wrote

Democracy is such a system, where the metric for "wisest" is "able to win the most votes".

I get what you're saying here, but you have to understand that "wisest", "responsible", "happy", "creative", "open-minded" are all subjective terms, and as soon as you try to define them in terms of an objective, measurable definition, you'll end up in conflict with others who disagree with your definition.

Our current best attempt to metricize these things is "able to win the most votes". No other metric proposed thus far has been able to surpass this one.

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