Philosophy of Genetics

Building virtual robots

When trying to devise artificially intelligent robots, scientists spend too much time constructing physical parts (robotic hands, servos, battery packs), and too little time developing the intelligent programming and algorithms.  This begs the question: Why build anything physical at all? Why not develop and simulate the robot body virtually, on a computer?

Lego, with its line of MindStorms robot kits, has done just that. Now you can experiment with new robot designs in silico, without the need for a soldering iron, or assembly of any physical pieces at all.  All the components are simulated in a virtual world on a computer. Hopefully, this technology is the wave of the future, and scientists can return to working on the hard problem, which is artificial intelligence!

One downside of the Lego offering is its lack of physics and interaction. There's no gravity and collision detection between objects.  These have been addressed in computer games ("physics engines"), and hopefully that technology gets absorbed into the experimental world of intelligent robot design.

What is a Chimera?

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, a woman named Lydia Fairchild gave birth to her own child in 2002, but genetic tests performed on her skin and hair did not match her child (except to the degree a grandmother might match).

However, DNA from other tissue in Fairchild's body did match her child. Lydia carried two distinct sets of DNA within her body, the defining characteristic of a chimera.

The most likely explanation is that Lydia Fairchild herself was a fusion of two sets of chromosomes from her parents, when she was born. Her mother simultaneously ovulated two eggs, which were both fertilized by different sperm from her father.  Then the two eggs fused into a single embryo, which grew up to be Lydia.

In other words, as Lydia Fairchild developed, both types of cells within her participated in constructing her various organs, but not all the DNA was represented in all her organs.  She had two distinct sets of DNA, as if she had twins inside her own body.

So when Lydia Fairchild had a child of her own, the child inherited one set of her DNA, but not the other set.