DNA is also damaged sometimes just by chance. Even in perfect conditions, with no UV, reactive molecules, etc., there will be errors and this is sometimes how cancer happens, just by chance (it's also how evolution happens, so).

Editing DNA in-vivo (in a living organism) would be tricky, because one: we don't actually know what all that DNA does. Some of it seems to have multiple functions. and some of it is just... ¯(ツ)_/¯. I mean, we've only just recently (2025 i thk) created a map of the entire human genome and, again, we don't know what most of it does. IIRC there's an entire group of DNA that was, until recently, known as 'trash' DNA because everyone thought it didn't do anything, but it turns out it has important regulatory functions. So using CRISPR in such a way across an entire living organism might kill the organism. There's also the issue of how to use CRISPR in such a widespread way, as most gene editing is done in really small test tubes with micrograms of the enzyme. Some people have proposed using a modified virus, as that's pretty much what viruses do, and of course that has it's own issues because 'new' viral particles that were created by the infected cell have different DNA to hide from he host immune system. So administering a treatment like that might accidentally create a new strain of infectious virus, even if the researchers are really, really careful (Life, uh, finds a way).

Also, I seem to recall that there are some issues with CRISPR only being able to edit strands of DNA that are x long, and doing anything longer would require another enzyme that doesn't exist or hasn't been found. I forget most of that part of my micro lecture tho.

DNA research is really slow, mostly because culturing cells is really tricky. Sure you can get them to stay alive, but to see them actually in action is difficult as you would have to supply the right concentration of certain molecules over a specific time and make sure those don't react with other molecules that will produce toxic molecules that kill the cell. Also some of these molecules are light reactive so experiments have to be done in the dark and preferably at 37°C. In short, it's really difficult to study DNA because the necessary conditions to make it do it's thing are extremely difficult to replicate in the lab.

I'm just a student though, so if there is, by chance, a researcher in this forum that would like to correct me please do so.

*ALSO, if you really want to increase the life span of humanity, everyone should start having babies as late as humanly possible. There will be genetic issues with the offspring, but those will eventually be ironed out as more reproduction happens at a later stage in life thus, naturally increasing the human lifespan viva la evolution.

1w ago

Am I dumb

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

Yes.

1w ago

B.C. RCMP investigating reports of threats against Tumbler Ridge victim's family

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

the funeral for 12-year-old Kylie Smith, closed to the public and planned for Saturday, has been cancelled "due to legitimate potential threats."

What the fuck.

The statement claims they're not the only family of the victims to be harassed or threatened.

What the fuck.

*I will cope by thinking these threats are, at least in part, put forth by hostile countries like Russia and North Korea.

1w ago

I'm gonna rule it

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

"I can't read."

1w ago

What air defense doing? — Z-blogger

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

What air defense ~~doing~~?

1w ago

OpenAI considered alerting Canadian police about school shooting suspect months ago

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

+6 to the AI kill count

1w ago

Dogru is the first European Union citizen known to be living inside the EU to face extrajudicial sanctions imposed by Brussels

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

Source please

1w ago

Amazon illegally imposed a wage freeze on unionized employees in B.C.

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

The ruling will likely result in over $1 million being paid out to the Delta warehouse workers

Please actually read the article. :(

1w ago

All Ontario police forces being probed for corruption

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

ACAB

1w ago

Amazon illegally imposed a wage freeze on unionized employees in B.C.

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

1w ago

If real life loaded like a video game did, what would the loading screen tips be?

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

lol fuck you

1w ago

PIC

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

Butt-huggers now

1w ago

Is your life better or worse than your parents (I mean specifically your parents, not your parent's generation)? (Specify country)

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

In Canada. Worse financially, but socially/mentally we're better off. My parents have none of the tools I have to deal with shit on an emotional level, they instead just shove it in a box and try to forget about it. This is how they raised me, but thank fuck for the internet and people I met that know better.

Well, all of this ignores the destruction and probably death of the Earths environment which has such an overarching presence it had to be ignored to provide a meaningful answer.

*I suppose ones financial situation isn't tied to which generation they are, but to how much emotional damage their parents inflicted (which is correlated to socio-economic status IIRC). IMO, if my parents weren't so permanently fucked up I would've had the mental wherewithal to attend University at an earlier age so I likely would be graduated already. Would probably still be just as fucked tho.

1w ago

Rule

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

🥵

1w ago

no joke rule

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snoons @lemmy.ca 1w ago

fuck

2w ago

Potato, better than beans, better than corn rule

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snoons @lemmy.ca 2w ago

who up slappin' they potats