Dr. Gholson Lyon – Genetic Research and its Application in Today’s Health Care System

The human genome is the complete set of genetic data for human beings. The interpretation of the human genome sequence has been one of the major scientific breakthroughs of the 21st century. Since its initial release in 2001, our understanding of the sequence has deepened exponentially. By 2014, we had completely sequenced thousands of human genomes. The resulting information is used on a global scale, in fields as diverse as anthropology and forensics, and of course in biomedical science.

If you suspected that bioengineering is the new frontier of human endeavor, the experts agree. Genomics - with its proliferation of metaphors - scientists as pioneers and bioengineering as the home of innovation and rugged individualism - is the new Wild West. Consumer genomics, made possible by the plummeting costs of DNA testing and its growing popularity via the internet, is already a reality. Its current and future value in medical diagnostics, as well as a timetable within which it can become widely available as a healthcare tool for the general population, are the topic of much debate.

Dr. Patrick Hopkins is a philosopher and bioethicist. In this interview, we don't contemplate traditional bioethic concerns of animal testing or disease treatment. Instead, we discuss some important considerations of how emerging technologies might alter our bodies, minds, personalities and gender – and, indeed, what "human" might imply in the first place.

Regis Kopper runs the Duke Immersive Virtual Environment, or “DiVE.” His research focuses on the interactions of virtual and real humans. In this interview, he discusses his predictions for the non-gaming applications of virtual reality - and the surprising evidence that virtual reality humans might “relate” to us in much the way that real humans do. What happens when we can’t tell the difference?

Dr. Amit Goswami is a theoretical quantum physicist, and renown speaker and author on the topic of understanding consciousness and human existence. The western view of the mind implies that what is real is physical, and what is not physical is not real. Goswami speaks to his experience in physics – and eastern perspective of the mind – that might just shake your current assumptions.
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Image credit: GlobalOne