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| Future Predators of Humans | |
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| Topic Started: May 17 2009, 06:07 PM (9,976 Views) | |
| rufus | May 17 2009, 06:07 PM Post #1 |
Newborn
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I rememebr that once in Peter Ward's book he mentions the differnt things that could possibly thin the human population. He mentioned, then dismissed at once the possibility of a new sort of predator. As he correctly observes, any such predator would be quickly elininated or contained if it started preying on our species. Humans would simply not allow ourselves or our children to become food. But that got me to thinking. Suppose some future genetic scientist, engineered some sort of future predator to prey upon humans, perhaps as a way of cleansing the population of :defectives" or undesirables". The species could be genetically programed to hunt only humans as a food source. And it might be programed to eliminate only those humans who carried certain traits such as genetic maladies. This would have to be done in such a way that the human population would not know what was happening, and could not take the action needed to eliminate the predators. This creature would be engineered from humans themselves.The creature could have engineered traits from other animal species, such as camaflauge abilites, and perhaps sonar from bats to stun their prey. BTW, I thought of this idea long before that "future predator" thing from Primeval, and I thought of posting this today, even before I read that other thread. I also thought of making this idea into a story, in which the heor has to find who is releasing and controlling these predators and how to stop them. I usually try not to bash genetic science in my stories, like some authors do, but in this case the plot would demand that I do have a rogue geneticist. |
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| Holben | Apr 28 2010, 02:28 PM Post #346 |
Rumbo a la Victoria
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Chupacabras would be quickly culled by quarantine and hunting rifles.  That said, any successful predator would have to circumvent our containing of it. Perhaps airborne would be better. |
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Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| Pando | Apr 28 2010, 02:29 PM Post #347 |
Obey or I'll send you to the moon
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What about a genetically engineered slime mold with advanced intelligence? |
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| Space Gorilla | Apr 29 2010, 10:10 PM Post #348 |
Primate Thinker
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mutated fungi? |
Me on Deviant Art!  Deus Max (Official) Deus Max (OOC) | |
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| Pando | Apr 29 2010, 11:18 PM Post #349 |
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Obey or I'll send you to the moon
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Slime mold, not fungi. Like a shapeshifting intelligent slithersucker than can move at high speeds and quickly dissolve its prey. |
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| MitchBeard | Apr 30 2010, 08:56 AM Post #350 |
proud gondwanan
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How would a slimemold have any form of sustained intelligence. For lack of a better word. Reacting quickly to its environment relying on essentially taste and smell would be difficult too. Also, I think infecting its prey would work better. It could hide inside people, then they start vomiting all over other people in the subway car very cinematographically and general chaos ensues. |
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| Holben | Apr 30 2010, 12:07 PM Post #351 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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...DOOM slime. You can't kill it and it will digest you. |
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Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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| Space Gorilla | May 4 2010, 05:48 AM Post #352 |
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Primate Thinker
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I still think mutated parasite fungi top the slime mold of DOOM 
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Me on Deviant Art! Deus Max (Official) Deus Max (OOC) | |
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| Pando | May 4 2010, 12:24 PM Post #353 |
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Obey or I'll send you to the moon
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What about GE'd predatory fungi? They exist, waiting for Nematode worms. |
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| Holben | May 8 2010, 02:19 PM Post #354 |
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Rumbo a la Victoria
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DOOM slime (which doesn't have to be a slime mould, it's probably alien) can kick anyone's rump in short order. |
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Time flows like a river. Which is to say, downhill. We can tell this because everything is going downhill rapidly. It would seem prudent to be somewhere else when we reach the sea. "It is the old wound my king. It has never healed." | |
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