Super flies being created

[Warborg]

Here's the link

http://io9.com/5871044/superflies-bred-to-be-the-first-astronauts-on-titan

Does anyone else think this is a bad idea?

Besides syfy getting a hold of the rights to make a movie of this.

I don't think mutating flies to make them indestructible is too wise of an idea. If they get loose image the damage done to this world. They could damage crops...carry disease.

We already have a hard enough time with normal ones.

 

[DariusAmurdarja]

Thats just fiction. Don´t worry...

 

[Warborg]

Thats just fiction. Don´t worry...

Did you read the link?...someone IS trying to make flies more resistant to colder/violent temperatures and conditions to survive on Titan(which they will most likely fail for that purpose but what would it do for them here on Earth?).

 

[DariusAmurdarja]

Did you read the link?...someone IS trying to make flies more resistant to colder/violent temperatures and conditions to survive on Titan(which they will most likely fail for that purpose but what would it do for them here on Earth?).

Believe me...its fiction Titans atmosphere is based on methane. There is no oxygen and no liquid water. He can´t switch the metabolism of those flies. He can´t make them breath methane and he will not be able to make them able to survive -190°C.

 

[CHOMPERS]

Furthermore, the guy is an artist, not a scientist.

 

[krichardson]

Besides syfy getting a hold of the rights to make a movie of this.

With the crap that they do produce I'm not sure which scenario would be worse.

 

[Good_Times]

Hahaha, this is pointless. Even if they could breed a super fly that could withstand all these harsh exposures (which would be cool) the flies will all die since there isn't a food source, water or O2. Kinda reminds me of the episode on south park where they sent the orca whale to the moon and then it just layed there dead.

 

[Wiggles92]

I think the idea is to see if they can withstand the overall atmospheric pressure, UV exposure, radioactivity, and eventually the temperature; any other factors beyond that (methane rain, etc.) would inevitably prove deadly to the flies. It's also worth noting that the flies are being selectively bred rather than mutated; eventually they will not be able to survive under normal conditions on Earth because they will have "evolved" to live under some of the conditions on Titan.

Food, water, and oxygen could theoretically be provided by plants that have been selectively bred to withstand the same conditions although they'd still probably have a tough time dealing with the sever lack of light. I'd think that something similar to those sealed shrimp jars could work if they do enough research and testing, but I doubt that it would work for too long.