Christian Transhumanism and Transhumanist Christianity

What might a Christian Transhumanism or, better, a Transhumanist Christianity, look like? Might conscientious Christians today absorb transhumanist zeal and enhancement technology into holy goals of enriching the individual soul and transforming the social fabric? As stewards of human creativity, public theologians and cybertheologians are provided an opportunity by their transhumanist friends to contribute to wider human flourishing and global wellbeing. Yet, realism regarding original sin heightens the challenge to discern what is good while avoiding the pitfalls of messianic hubris

NASA Land Information System (LIS) Water Availability to Support Reclamation ET Estimation

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation identified the remote sensing of evapotranspiration (ET) as an important water flux for study and designated a test site in the Lower Colorado River basin. A consortium of groups will work together with the goal to develop more accurate and cost effective techniques using the enhanced spatial and temporal coverage afforded by remote sensing. ET is a critical water loss flux where improved estimation should lead to better management of Reclamation responsibilities. There are several areas where NASA satellite and modeling data may be useful to meet Reclamation's objectives for improved ET estimation. In this paper we outline one possible contribution to use NASA's data integration capability of the Land Information System (LIS) to provide a merger of observational (in situ and satellite) with physical process models to provide estimates of ET and other water availability outputs (e.g., runoff, soil moisture) retrospectively, in near real-time, and also providing short-term predictions

Evolution, Evil, and the Theology of the Cross

The theodicy question within the dialogue between the Darwinian model of evolution and Christian theology is the focus of this essay: where do we find divine action in an evolutionary world? The central principle of sociobiology and evolutionary psychology — the selfish gene drives evolution through DNA replication — challenges theistic evolutionists: did God create the selfish gene? Is God responsible for the struggle in the animal world that leads to evil in the human world: violence, war, and genocide? Three alternative answers to the question of evolving evil are examined: (1) atheism and altruism; (2) the free will defense of God combined with divine kenosis; and (3) the Theology of the Cross combined with the promise of eschatological new creation. Rather than blessing the victors in the survival of the fittest, a Theology of the Cross places God present to the suffering of the unfit, the victims of predation and of species having gone extinct. Rather than bless nature blood «red in tooth and claw» (Tennyson), a theology of new creation hopes for a divine transformation of not only the human reality but of nature as well

Astrotheology’s contribution to public theology : from the extraterrestrial intelligence myth to astroethics

Public theology is conceived in the church, reflected on critically in the academy and addressed to the world for the sake of the world. The development of a theology of nature is included in the public theologian’s list of tasks of nature that is scripturally based and heavily informed by the natural sciences. Astrotheology is one product. Astrotheology engages astrobiology and other space sciences, firstly, by critically exposing the extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) myth at the heart of science and secondly, by partnering in thinking through public policy proposals with astroethicists. CONTRIBUTION : The HTS collection on ‘Theology and Nature’ sparks theological discussion both within and beyond the church. By developing the fields of astrotheology and astroethics, this article contributes to a ‘Theology of Nature’ as an exercise in Public Theology.This research is part of The research project ‘Understanding Reality (Theology and Nature)’, directed by Prof. Dr Johan Buitendag, Department of Systematic and Historical Theology, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria.Special Collection: Theology and Nature, sub-edited by Johan Buitendag (University of Pretoria).http://www.hts.org.zaam2022Dogmatics and Christian Ethic

Proleptic Ethics vs. Stop Sign Ethics. Theology and Future of Genetics

Proleptic ethics begins by projecting a vision of a preferred future; then it seeks creative opportunities to actualize the vision. Grounded in God’s eschatological promise of transformation and new creation, proleptic ethics projects a vision of a just, sustainable, and healthy society. This approach is contrasted with the ethical task according to stop sign ethics, which is to identify limits and put up barriers to scientific and technological advance. Stop sign ethics currently dominates the field of bioethics; and it can be identified by its commandment to «stop playing God.» In this essay, which advocates the approach of proleptic ethics, middle axioms connecting the projected vision of a preferred future with present choice and decision making are proposed for four scientific domains: genomics, life extension, stem cell research, and nanotechnology

Can we locate our origin in the future? Archonic versus epigenetic creation accounts

Myths of origin in archaic culture - including the Hebrew Scriptures - locate reality at the point of origin. The Greek term, αρχη, means both origin and governance. How something originates governs its definition; it was assumed by our ancestors. Hence the term archonic. Until we get to Christian eschatology and the promise of the new creation. In the New Testament, we find that God's eschatological consummation will retroactively define what has always been. God's redemption will epigenetically redefine what occurred at our genesis. Who you and I really are as creatures will be determined by our completion in the Kingdom of God. The new creation, Omega, determines what was true at the point of origin, that is, at Alpha. CONTRIBUTION: This article develops a theology of nature that incorporates natural science and augments the journal series in this subject area. Furthermore, this article develops a retroactive ontology based on the New Testament promise of an eschatological new creation.http://www.hts.org.zaDogmatics and Christian Ethic

Vaccination with DNA plasmids expressing Gn coupled to C3d or alphavirus replicons expressing Gn protects mice against rift valley fever virus

Background: Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an arthropod-borne viral zoonosis. Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an important biological threat with the potential to spread to new susceptible areas. In addition, it is a potential biowarfare agent. Methodology/Principal Findings: We developed two potential vaccines, DNA plasmids and alphavirus replicons, expressing the Gn glycoprotein of RVFV alone or fused to three copies of complement protein, C3d. Each vaccine was administered to mice in an all DNA, all replicon, or a DNA prime/replicon boost strategy and both the humoral and cellular responses were assessed. DNA plasmids expressing Gn-C3d and alphavirus replicons expressing Gn elicited high titer neutralizing antibodies that were similar to titers elicited by the live-attenuated MP12 virus. Mice vaccinated with an inactivated form of MP12 did elicit high titer antibodies, but these antibodies were unable to neutralize RVFV infection. However, only vaccine strategies incorporating alphavirus replicons elicited cellular responses to Gn. Both vaccines strategies completely prevented weight loss and morbidity and protected against lethal RVFV challenge. Passive transfer of antisera from vaccinated mice into naïve mice showed that both DNA plasmids expressing Gn-C3d and alphavirus replicons expressing Gn elicited antibodies that protected mice as well as sera from mice immunized with MP12. Conclusion/Significance: These results show that both DNA plasmids expressing Gn-C3d and alphavirus replicons expressing Gn administered alone or in a DNA prime/replicon boost strategy are effective RVFV vaccines. These vaccine strategies provide safer alternatives to using live-attenuated RVFV vaccines for human use. © 2010 Bhardwaj et al

The Ebullient Transhumanist and the Sober Theologian

The worldwide transhumanist (H+) movement upgrades technological hopes and expectations to a level of spiritual fervor. When looking through the eyes of the public theologian, we see in H+ a disguised religion replete with faith in techno-salvation and even immortality. This is unrealistic. Whereas H+ assumes enhanced intelligence has redemptive power, the more realistic theologian avers that it is love and love alone that has transformative power. The implicit Gnostic assumptions of H+ are too weak to redeem the human condition; they need fortification by a hard-nosed sinand- grace dialectic. Apologetic public theologians can offer the wider public a more realistic assessment of technology’s potential while providing genuine hope in a future vision based on divine promise

UBVRI Light Curves of 44 Type Ia Supernovae

We present UBVRI photometry of 44 type-Ia supernovae (SN Ia) observed from 1997 to 2001 as part of a continuing monitoring campaign at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The data set comprises 2190 observations and is the largest homogeneously observed and reduced sample of SN Ia to date, nearly doubling the number of well-observed, nearby SN Ia with published multicolor CCD light curves. The large sample of U-band photometry is a unique addition, with important connections to SN Ia observed at high redshift. The decline rate of SN Ia U-band light curves correlates well with the decline rate in other bands, as does the U-B color at maximum light. However, the U-band peak magnitudes show an increased dispersion relative to other bands even after accounting for extinction and decline rate, amounting to an additional ~40% intrinsic scatter compared to B-band.Comment: 84 authors, 71 pages, 51 tables, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. Version with high-res figures and electronic data at http://astron.berkeley.edu/~saurabh/cfa2snIa