[simonh]

We do not observe teleportation, time travel or warp drive in nature. We also don’t have any practical theory for achieving them as depicted in science fiction. It seems unlikely we will achieve such technologies.

Do we observe general intelligence in nature though, here on Earth implemented with the materials available in our environment? If so, it’s a bold claim to make that it will always be impossible to achieve it artificially.

[hooande]

How far are we away from gene editing that will allow humans to be born with working gills or wings? Animals have these things, so we know it's possible. But having the technology to do that is very far off, if ever.

The same is true of AGI. Of course it's possible. but right now no one has any clear idea how to do it without extreme brute force.

Personally, I think it's more likely that we'll have a working Alcubierre drive before anything approaching general intelligence

[simonh]

We can extract oxygen from water right now, so we can already do this. Requiring a specific implementation technology is unreasonably stacking the deck.

You’re making the same mistake as those who critiqued the concept of heavier than air flying machines, starting from the assumption they must work by flapping their wings. As it happens now we have wing flapping drones anyway though.

“Ever” is a very, very, very long time.

[Ginden]

> How far are we away from gene editing that will allow humans to be born with working gills or wings?

Impossible due to physics limits. Human lungs have 57 square meters for extracting oxygen from fluid with 21% volume oxygen. 30°C air-saturated water have 0.5% of oxygen, so working gills for human would need surface area of 2394 square meters.

[rembicilious]

Gills work by continually “filtering” water as is flows through them. Lungs are filled and then emptied according to some pattern of breath. The difference in volume of fluid processed must be significant. Also, can’t gills have a higher surface area to volume ratio than lungs?