What if some branch of technology allowed someone to actually become a werewolf, or something very similar? What if that became possible within our lifetimes? I imagine that transformation ability would have to be dropped, unless there's some huge leap in nanotech or something of the sort coming up; moving things around that rapidly would both take a ton of energy, and probably be quite dangerous to your health. What I have in mind is something a bit more within reach; basically, the gestalt form (my ideal would be optimized for four-legged movement with ability to balance on two, and forepaws/hands capable of manipulation, but I suppose the extent would be a personal choice). Relatively recently, it has been discovered that the system which allows many reptiles to regenerate is present, though dormant, in most/all mammals, including humans. While that's pretty cool in itself, we evolved to not have it for a reason; namely, regenerating instead of scarring over leaves you much more open to infection; reptiles tend to have VERY powerful immune systems for that reason. My idea is as follows: What if we gave that regenrative system, in a controlled environment, a different 'schematic' to work off of? What if you re-enabled it in a human (has been sucessfully done with mice), and injected a retrovirus that would go around modifying things until your body decided that its current form was wrong, and it actually should be that of a werewolf in gestalt? Given some assistance from the primitive nanotech we're likely to have by that time, and some delicate surgery, could a permenant transformation be executed? Perhaps more importantly, if such technology became available, would you take advantage of it? How do you think society would react to the sudden appearance of such radically different people? Would you even technically be human, given that your physical form is certainly not? Is humanity of the physical, or the mental (Physical, I'd say, but that's just me. I LIKE the idea of being considered inhuman, so long as people recognize I'm no ravening monster)? Discuss.
Then what's to keep wanted people from just becoming another face in the crowed or make themselves eternily young it's just not ethical we would have to either stop reproducing, or start colonizing other planets. Sorry if it's off topic.
