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Inner space is more than an awesome movie from the late '80s. While outer space is clearly reachable already, inner space is still an open window to us. If you don't know, inner space refers to the inside of the body. Inner space exploration would severely increase our knowledge of physiological science, and my big question is, will we soon be able to explore it from the inside?
Even if not first-hand (as miniaturization may be a setback in trying to figure out  ), there is still our ever-growing nanobot technology. We can already build them, it's all down to the question of powering them  . The idea has fascinated so many, and hopefully, we'll soon be able to make our dreams a reality. After all, we didn't used to think that outer space exploration would ever be possible, and look at us now!
Anyone have any input on the subject?
As for powering them, genetic engeneering could give someone an electricity-producing gland (such as what some fish have). Place this new organ right up agianst the main vein leading into the heart, and program all the nanobots to stop there once per trip through the bloodstream.
The body has plenty of energy in it, it just has to get there to use it. I don't know if we are very close to creating new "energy sharing" body parts yet. Actually, I sincerly doubt it.
| ocalhoun wrote: | | As for powering them, genetic engeneering could give someone an electricity-producing gland (such as what some fish have). Place this new organ right up agianst the main vein leading into the heart, and program all the nanobots to stop there once per trip through the bloodstream. |
Now there's an interesting idea. That could have great potential in itself. Although, it seems too many people are opposed to the idea of genetic engineering. While there are many great things that it could do, messing with nature tends to have many new problems in store.
On the other hand, having an organ with electrical potential that close to the heart could also produce many new problems. Even just having it next to any of the veins leading into the heart could be very hazardous, although the idea is very creative. It's just that the four sets of nerves covering the heart (Sinoatrial node, atrioventricular node, bundle of his (pronounced "hiss"), and perkinje fibers) can often be the most sensitive. That's a very important factor since they have the most important function in the body, beating the heart.
Don't get me wrong, I love your idea . And besides, the way you say it, it sounds like you're just talking minute, weak electrical discharges. That is a very resourceful idea, I just wouldn't suggest the organ be placed near the Superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, or the left or right pulmonary veins.
Perhaps it would work well if it were placed somewhere along the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system still travels throughout the body, and the nanobots would have full access to all blood vessels as neccesary. But the biggest advantage would be that the lymphatic system isn't directly connected to the heart, so the blood access, and full body access, would be easily possible, and the heart would have much lower risk.
Now that I think about it, the idea of a genetically-engineered organ might also produce a problem. The target-B cells may detect it as cancerous tissue. Though the organ would have basically the same DNA, if you don't know, EVERY single cell in the body has antigens on the membrane, specific to the cell's duty and the individual person of course. That is exactly how the leukocytes/liver identify something as either it's own cells, or as foreign targets. It's just that the body is very hard to fool in this case. While it is a very low chance that this would be a problem, it would be a severe problem if it were to happen.
Awesome theory, and who knows, maybe it will some day work very well. It would, after all, be easy to make in mass quantities once the genes are cracked. That would be the first problem, mostly because of the laws against genetic engineering (without government consent).
| bladesage wrote: |
Now that I think about it, the idea of a genetically-engineered organ might also produce a problem. The target-B cells may detect it as cancerous tissue. Though the organ would have basically the same DNA, if you don't know, EVERY single cell in the body has antigens on the membrane, specific to the cell's duty and the individual person of course. That is exactly how the leukocytes/liver identify something as either it's own cells, or as foreign targets. It's just that the body is very hard to fool in this case. While it is a very low chance that this would be a problem, it would be a severe problem if it were to happen.
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That obsicle would have to be overcome anyway before one could even think of inserting nonobots. (The nanobots would have to be protected fron the immune system just the same.) You could also modify the immune sytem itself, also by genetic engineering, but in order to effect the changes you'd have to modify the HIV virus as a delivery system. Not many people would want to be injected with a modified HIV virus...
| Mason11987 wrote: | | The body has plenty of energy in it, it just has to get there to use it. I don't know if we are very close to creating new "energy sharing" body parts yet. Actually, I sincerly doubt it. |
Y'know, if we could find a way for a submicroscopic being (nanobots) to run on oxygen, then that would solve everything! The nanobots could just use the bloodstream to reach the lungs, that would mean virtually infinite energy. Even better, would be to produce a hemoglobin-like enzyme to absorb all the oxygen right from the capilaries (I doubt that taking any from the red blood cells would be very smart, as the body would then consider the nanobots to be parasites). In the capilaries, there's always so much diffusion going on, that the exccess oxygen could be easily tapped, without the body's knowledge.
I believe we already have such a synthetic enzyme, I just can't quite recall the name. Fortunately, despite common belief, hemoglobin doesn't absorb carbon dioxide at all, and that just enters the plasma itself. Oxygen could be very good for providing energy. It's just that it's impossible to mimic the metabolic processes.
| ocalhoun wrote: | | That obsicle would have to be overcome anyway before one could even think of inserting nonobots. (The nanobots would have to be protected fron the immune system just the same.) You could also modify the immune sytem itself, also by genetic engineering, but in order to effect the changes you'd have to modify the HIV virus as a delivery system. Not many people would want to be injected with a modified HIV virus... |
Actually, the best method of doing what you're saying, would be to engineer the genes before birth. That way, the immune system would be built that way from the start.
And as far as the nanobots being detected as foreign material goes, we're talking about devices so small, that the immune system would likely not notice them, although that is a concern. More likely, they would be detected as debris, and thus either ignored completely, or simply filtered out by the kidneys (which would be a waste of the millions of nanobots, most wouldn't want to be injected with anything that came out of urine).
Also, even if we did manage to edit HIV, we couldn't change all the DNA, there are trillions of cells in the immune system alone! It would have to be done before birth. The HIV is far too simple to be engineered, let alone be used as a delivery system. All viruses consist of a simple protein capsid, containing nucleic acid. Yes, the nucleic acid is genetic material, but that's not the point. In order for any virus to survive and reproduce, it must destroy another living cell!
| bladesage wrote: | | consider the nanobots to be parasites). |
They are parasites, just benificial parasites. Unfortunately the human body was not designed to accept new kinds of benificial parasites.
The human body accepts parasites all the time. We are colonized by bacteria inside and out. They enable us to digest our food fully but also provide that certain something that lets everyone know that you just came from the gym. As to whether or not nanobots are parasites, it is beside the point. I think that technology will be allowing some form of "inner space" utilization. This may not be in a cognizent shrunkien down person, but I think the element will certainly be controllable.
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