Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 4, 2014 22:28:41 GMT -5
Given the sheer number of times her relationship with Edward has come back to bite her - both the one that they actually had and the one that many assume - any time she becomes aware that someone is more aware of it than she realized she has to be somewhat pessimistic about what they'll do with that information. Still, she's satisfied for the moment that Lex doesn't seem to be interested in talking about it. Which is a good thing, in her opinion - she can only remain stoic when speaking about Edward in smaller amounts.
When the mini tarts arrive, it's plain to see that Nina is instantly interested in them. Unused to high class dining, there's any number of foods that she could be served that would look questionable on sight to her no matter how delicious they proved to be, but this is certainly not one of them. At his gesture she selects one of them, though she holds it thoughtfully as he continues to speak. In fact when he mentions being driven to extremes by Edward, her eyes leave the tart entirely and shift to him. Giving him a single, understanding nod of agreement - oh yes, she really understands - she finally tastes the tart and finds it just as delightful to the tastebuds as it is to the eyes.
Finishing off the tart as she continues to listen and then watch. He certainly does have her attention, though not simply because he paid for it. If they'd had no past at all he would have gotten her attention simply because of what she knows of his company's resources and how they could possibly benefit her work. What the money did was to basically help her believe he really meant his apology, at least on some nonsuperficial level. And yes, that did quite literally bring her to this table.
Her eyes are easily drawn by the tables and images. It's always interesting to see the results of higher resolution microscopes - seeing with her eyes what she can feel with her gift. She continues to listen as she views the data, which seems to put her into deep thought rather than display much immediate enthusiasm. But it's a bit of an effort for her not to dive too deeply into it without it distracting her from listening to his words, which are perhaps even more important at the moment.
In fact she pulls her eyes away from it entirely when he mentions transhuman genetics, in order to give him a slight frown. Would she be very good in that field? Very yes. But it's not one that she's ever been convinced is that valuable. Luckily, in spite of her opinion on that, the other project certainly right up her alley, so her attention goes back to the data he's showing her. Regeneration would cure a plethora of conditions, after all.
"If excessive growth is a problem then there's a flaw in the method you're using to encourage growth in the first place. I know how to fix that... theoretically, anyway. I've never actually tried it, but if my models are correct - and unlike most of my peers they rarely aren't - it shouldn't be difficult to discover the flaw and come up with a solution by comparing the method you're using to my model," she idly states, before her eyes shift back to him. "I'm certainly not opposed to contract work. And I should state that while I do prefer my independence, it's not simply a matter of past history between us. While I was working at WayneTech, they allowed me to work rather independently, but since I started my own company I've found that I greatly prefer the freedom to pursue my own projects without obligations to and the oversight of some larger entity. I prefer my own goals and having complete control over my own work. And I've never worked that well with others - I'm far more productive when I work alone and don't have other people slowing me down. Hence why I only have one employee - she does some of the grunt work for me but then stays out of my way," she explains, "My best collaborations would occur when I'm asked to fix something that isn't working or to independently complete a piece of a larger project - not working side by side in a lab with someone."
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2014 5:29:49 GMT -5
The first course arrived, a " violon" zucchini marbled with Medjool dates, almonds, caramelized crunchy onions with a curry, dried raisin and bell pepper cassonade, to further whet the appetite, a classic French remaining of a Sephardic recipe with Indian flair.It's served with the Chanterelle mushrooms with a "Vin Jaune" wine sauce. Sauteed in a veal juice with nuts and brown butter with a fine stuffed romaine, it was rich but well portioned, served with a Conteaux du Languedoc St. Drezery, a puech haut with verdsnt flavor.
The images played in holographic certainty, as Lex Luthor smiled at the statement. " I find that I do my best work the same way, Dr. Stenet. Despite my admiration of the usefulness of shared resources, recall I created LexCorp from a tool shed alone...I just didn't stay that way. We'll develop an individual contact for you as a consultant, and contact with your lab for certain projects."
He smiles as he enjoys some of the mushroom looking up at the monitor and listening "We attempted to use a self producing mitogen to stimulate growth, but the mutation caused two differentiating effects, either hyperactivity of growth or immediate apoptosis...if we can control the mitogens my people theorized that we can create permanently dividing cells, remove telomere restrictions to allow fast and constant reproduction, then stimulate mitogen regulation to freeze mitosis until necessary, activated either externally or by trauma. Regulating the growth to prevent division like unicellular cells, in which undifferentiated cells attempt to take up all remaining space and nutrients irregardless of need or place in the grand scheme is however the trick to perform reliably. It's easy to create cancer, after all...making it into a healthy body...that's trickier. What are your thoughts? "
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 11, 2014 10:11:24 GMT -5
As the first course arrives, Nina glances over it with only a little interest - this is exactly the kind of fare that she'd roll her eyes at if it wouldn't be rude. Just because a food is complicated, exotic, and/or unusual doesn't mean that it's necessarily more delicious. Though she does have one advantage over people who don't like to eat things that they can't identify: as she checks it with her gift for molecules that shouldn't be there she can also get some idea of what it would taste like beforehand based on which molecules she senses - enough to dispel the idea that it's some mysterious fancy food of unknown origin. Even though she really would prefer to simply eat something normal.
Though the food is quickly dismissed from her mind, to be idly picked at while most of her attention remains on Lex. She simply nods as Lex speaks of contracts - something she'll be sure to scrutinize very carefully when they appear - but for now it's enough for her to simply indicate that such an arrangement would be satisfactory.
As she listens to his explanation of their methods, Nina's expression becomes very thoughtful at she looks again at the holographic display. Though it rapidly turns into amusement at his last statement. Though she pauses for a moment to consider whether or not she should answer his question, but she's quick to make up her mind and speak her thoughts. "Cancer may be easy, but so is a healthy body. Many millions of groups of undifferentiated cells manage to form themselves into healthy bodies every year - far exceeding the cancer rate," she points out, "If you want to control the mitogens, why not let an embryo show you how? They don't usually have any trouble."
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2014 11:12:50 GMT -5
Lex Luthor smiled some as he leaned back into his chair as he put his fingertips together "Ah, you see, that's where the problem is. Frankly I'm not good enough to learn from the embryo. That sort of thinking is why I want you to work on the project." He leans forward and smiles saying "You see, your mind is already working around the idea. And of course you know that the difference between cancer and health . . . is control, it's self discipline of the cells."
He gestures at the research again, letting the screen change as more data came up. "I would have no idea how to do what you just suggested. My people might, but they haven't quite pulled it off. . . but imagine it. If you could trigger the cell division and organ regrowth found in an embryo, so that major injuries can be cured in days, not years. . . hours not months. . . can you imagine what it would do? This is what we want to make possible at LexCorp. And the distribution we want, is to have it delivered in a chemical compound. Being able to make these changes with massive equipment. . . well that's good, but it doesn't allow the distribution to get the most bang for our buck, as it will."
He took a sip of the wine saying "Just imagine if in a small bottle we could have the power of regenerative health, sent in crates to war torn Africa, or on rescue missions in disaster areas. Or just areas of plague. That's my goal. To create something that brings cellular regeneration, allows it to be distributed effectively, and can be used with limited resource allocation so that it's available without requiring a mortgage! So, do I have your interest, Doctor Stenet? This is my dream for a better world. . . what do I need to do to get you to help me make this dream come true?"
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 12, 2014 14:47:51 GMT -5
"Is the world ready for that?" Nina asks rhetorically. Not that the question matters - clearly he believes so or he wouldn't be doing the research. Well, that or he doesn't care. Either way, just because she asked the question and is unsure of the answer herself doesn't mean that she's unwilling to help. It's just that biotech, along with other technologies, goes so fast these days... But she might as well make sure that it's done properly - screw-ups in medical advancements hurt people, after all.
"Well, the first thing that I need is some time," Nina states first, her eyes shifting from the data being displayed to Lex, "I haven't been back to working since leaving the hospital, still recovering, and I have some personal business to take care of before I do. After that I'll be ready to work - including on this project. Because yes, this has my attention, and yes you want my help."
Her attention shifting back to the data, she seems to look through it rather than at it as she comments, "I doubt that your people didn't think about embryos, but I'm also sure that the idea was dismissed because of the difficulty and possible ethical implications of the research - it probably seems more feasible to them to find a technological way of doing it rather than copying nature. To 'let an embryo show you' using current methods would require years of careful study, probably on fertilized chicken eggs to conveniently have sufficient quantity. Then the data would have to be adjusted for the fact that we're dealing with humans and not chickens, which would be... tricky, considering the time frame for the best data in a human would be after implantation - and if you thought that people threw a fit about stem cells..." She shakes her head about that. "So I don't blame them for hoping to find a short cut," she comments.
Pursing her lips in thought, she continues by saying, "And if you manage to reach that point, then that data would have to be adjusted just slightly for the fact that we're dealing with healing an injury rather than developing an embryo, and then finally we'd need to find solutions to all the problems caused by the fact that, to put it simply, humans aren't naturally designed to heal that way, so there's bound to be side effects." Looking at Lex once again, she smiles as she says, "The real reason you want me on this project is not because of my ideas, but because I'm already to the point of understanding human embryos - which is the hardest and most time consuming part."
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2014 11:33:05 GMT -5
"There are those who argued that the world wasn't ready for the sharper stick or the fire. If we dedicated progress entirely on slow change, we'd still be in the caves, Dr. Stenet. Is the world ready for technology to extend life? I think the world is adaptable to the idea. There was a time when it was said that there was no reason a human being should ever travel faster than 25 miles per hour, when the work of vaccination was meddling in the domain of God. No, humankind has a remarkable ability towards adaptation with new realities. In my own lifetime we've seen our place in the universe irrevocably change with the appearance of new Gods and monsters and ages of myth. I just think that the both of us want to make the world a better place, during this age of transformation."
He smiles as he drinks more of the Limoncello, enjoying the tangy flavor of it. He listens to the woman talk, then nods "I understand entirely, you have your reasons for what you intend, and I understand the need to be free from distraction in work. I'd appreciate you having a look at the work, and perhaps coming up with a list of what you'll need. We can take you on a tour of the facilities to look over the equipment we have available, and what you might be able to make use of in your own labs." He shifted in his seat again, rubbing the tips of his fingers together as if he were feeling the surface, thoughtfully, before looking back and saying casually "Your laboratories would be considered LexCorp partners. It's a status we extend to other facilities, and it will allow you to maintain your independence as we work together. As long as you are working on LexCorp projects, or pay the licensing fees if you're not working on LexCorp projects, you'll have access to all of our scientific equipment and resources as needed. Do show care with your . . . personal project that's upcoming, though. I know full well how dangerous this sort of hobby can become, and I would hate to see anything happen to you." He seems to soften as he says "I mean it honestly, when I say that you're worth quite a lot to me alive. I'd like to see you remain that way."
He listens to her talk about the real reasons she has to do her work. The real reasons he wants her, he smiles. "You're not entirely incorrect, but not entirely correct. There are in fact many reasons I want to work with you, each one a unique bonus to the research. Honestly, you are the perfect candidate for this type of work, and there honestly is no one better suited towards these problems."
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 22, 2014 12:48:20 GMT -5
Though Nina is troubled enough by the implications of the kind of work that they're doing to voice the question, she isn't certain enough about any possible alternative to argue the point. So she listens as Lex says his piece on the subject, though there's a certain amount of dissatisfaction in her expression. No, she'd not argue that human progress should be halted or even slowed - certainly humankind's lot now is better than it was in the stone age. Still, progress always causes growing pains of one kind or another.
Nodding her thanks at his easy acceptance of her need for a delay, she comments, "A tour would be helpful." Her own lab is state-of-the-art, at least for her own needs, but she know that his facilities would have additional and greatly improved equipment. Much of it would be completely pointless for her to use as her gift can outmatch even the best equipment in many applications, but there are plenty of other situations where a task is simply too large for her to finish it with her gift alone and the right piece of equipment can save her a lot of time. She nods thoughtfully as he outlines what sort of deal he's proposing, as it all sounds reasonable to her as stated.
As he mentions the potential danger of the matter she needs to attend to, she watches him thoughtfully for a moment, wondering to herself just how much he's guessed about it. Given, well, everything, she's sure it's not that hard to guess that it has to do with Edward. And she supposes that alone is enough of a reason to voice some concern about the situation. "If it goes even remotely as I expect, my life is the only thing that I won't have to be worried about," she comments quietly with a frown, "In the shorter term, anyway." It all depends on how Edward reacts, though she suspects that at the very least her own life won't be under threat as long as she's seen as a possible solution to the problem she'll cause him - though she won't put her full trust in that. Edward gets rather stupid when he's upset, after all.
When Lex corrects her on why he wants her she comments, "I appreciate your esteem, Mr. Luthor. I only hope we don't get into any conflicts regarding my priorities." Because she can't help but be at least a bit wary when he starts talking about all the things that he thinks she could be helpful with. Well, yes, she can do a lot of things, but some are much more worth her attention than others and she's never met the person who agrees with her entirely on what those things are.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2014 10:55:55 GMT -5
"I'll make the arrangements myself for the tour, and of course the leasing agreements will be remarkably considerate, seeing as I want to see you as well situated as possible to do the work as necessary." He settles into his chair some more as he says "There might be an interesting avenue you might want to consider, however, before you start on this grand undertaking. This, by the way, would be covered under the NDA that I'm afraid I'd need you to sign."
He gestures a few more times and an unusual chemical composition shows up on the screen. "We call this sample LZ-1144. It has some interesting chemical properties that we don't quite fully understand as of yet. It's made of a matrix of unstable isotopes that reinforce eachother in unusual ways. That's not the interesting part, though. . . The interesting thing occurs when exposed to biomatter." He speaks again "LZ-1144 Experiment Three."
An image comes of a pig, dying, bloody, breathing heavily in a cage over a field of green. A voice speaks over the holographic image. "This is Doctor Holland, LZ-1144 experiment three. Suidae biorestorative experiment. Subject S-144 has undergone degenerative trauma, incisions in in the left lower quadrate, puncture wounds to left flank piercing the lung, ongoing degeneration of liver through ethanol treatments. We will now lower the subject into the sample." The pig is lowered slowly, there's only a view of the chemicals. The pig is breathing heavily, bloody, squealing in panic as it is lowered in the chemicals.
The pig disappears from sight, there's a burbling of bubbles, an then nothing. Then it continues to be nothing.
"Time elapsed, X=60 seconds." The cage is raised up slowly. The Pig is thrashing in the cage, Throwing itself against the metal bars, no blood, it appears to be breathing normally. "Degenerative neuroeffects still noted"
The image goes blank, new pictures come up of functioning liver cells, compared to the old ones. Neurons compared are shown to have degenerated. "Dr. Holland, post-experiment three. The subject had to be euthanized after degenerative neurocognition tuned it aggressive, it threw itself against the walls of its cage until death. Liver sample shows 80% restoration of function, dermal layers show full recovery. Further stages for experimentation will include changing trauma and exposure time to the sample. Subject died before further experimentation on cellular restoration could be accomplished, unknown of Teratogenic effects are ongoing."
Lex Luthor waves his hand as the image fades away, he'd been watching Nina the entire time. Fingertips together he looked at her. "I expect I'll be able to answer your questions once you've returned from your personal time. Do be careful, you are . . . quite irreplaceable.."
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 26, 2014 18:11:28 GMT -5
Nodding, when he starts speaking of an NDA Nina gives a somewhat dismissive, "Of course." After all, that merely gives him a legal way to punish her if she tells anyone his secrets. Since she's already had a taste of the illegal methods he's apparently not opposed to using, giving him one more avenue seems like such a small thing. Especially since she has no intention of doing such a thing - not just because it would be stupid to cross him, but because it's one of those unethical things she just doesn't do when she has other options.
Curious about what he's showing her, she frowns thoughtfully at the chemical composition - she's far more familiar with biochemistry and sorts of chemicals that are most often related than she is with chemistry in general, though clearly such a substance would be very, very reactive to whatever it comes into contact with. Which Lex seems keen to show her, as a pig appears on the screen. The sight doesn't seem to disturb her at all. It's just a pig, after all - people eat those - even though she's more inclined to experiment on fruit flies and the like when that's possible. But there's only so much testing you can do on something so unlike a human that you can be sure would translate over. Well, unless you're her.
Watching the experiment, her eyebrows lift in obvious surprise at how healed the pig is when it comes out of the green chemical bath - the sheer amount of healing in such a brief time is plainly remarkable! Though her attention is quick to shift from the pig's health to its also quite obvious behavior - ah, there would have to be a severe problem with it if it was being kept a secret! Well, unless Lex was selfishly keeping such a cure to himself.
Though when pictures come up on the screen showing the before and after effect on the liver cells, a flash of realization crosses her face and is quickly traded for a profoundly troubled frown, followed by a suspicious glance toward Lex though most of her attention remains on the pictures and the accompanying narration. Even after he waves the images away, she appears to be bothered by it. Shifting in her seat, she attempts to focus her attention on what Lex is saying, but she still sounds at least a little distracted as she responds by saying, "I know - and yet I've nearly died twice in the past few years. That's completely unacceptable!" Something she says as a statement of fact, rather than one of ego or pride - it's her gift and what she knows because of it that makes her so irreplaceable, not the rest of her. Of course, it's also not something that can be separated from her without destroying it.
But her thoughts still obviously on the experiment he showed, she's clearly choosing her words carefully as she quietly comments, "I should say that I'm honestly not sure how interested I am in that particular project."
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2014 20:14:24 GMT -5
He raises an eyebrow for a moment, looking at her reaction to the project as he said "I'm not certain I understand your reluctance, after all it is a promising avenue towards instantaneous regrowth of tissue and health restoration, except of course for the obvious degenerative effects. Unless you feel you have an alternative path towards this end." He shrugs as he says "Either way, it's an interesting experimental model, and I would welcome your input. Concerns and all." He shrugs as he points out the cellular growth.
"From what we can tell, the biological changes are based on a type of unique radiation and chemical compound that we can't quite understand." He gestures again as he says "The results remain for a specific portion of time, before . . . wearing out some, although there are characteristics and qualities . . . needless to say it's a mystery. And these mysteries might hold the secret to life, to health, to good fortune. To a future where those we care about are not torn away from us, where brilliant minds can continue to push the boundaries of human ignorance in perfect health, to create a world where those victims of crime . .. are able to return to their lives without upset and without risk." He raises an eyebrow to her and says "How quickly could you have returned to your work if such things were understood. How much safer would you be, and how much better the world if you were able to develop such a technology? To share it with the world?"
He smiles as he says "We live in exciting times, Dr. Stenet."
He watches her reaction for a while, contemplating it. She seemed to be uniquely troubled by the experiment, and that was an interesting reaction. "You seem troubled, Dr. Stenet. Is everything alright?"
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 27, 2014 15:51:16 GMT -5
Does Nina have concerns? Very many! But does she want to voice any of them - that's the real question. Though the fact that she's remaining extremely attentive as Lex comments further on the specifics of the effects of the substance they're testing proves that she's certainly not uninterested in knowing more about it. Without having a sample of it to sense for herself she has a hard time speculating on what it's really like - the earlier image she saw of it is inadequate for that. Such diagrams to her are a bit like blueprints are to a building because, while the blueprints themselves would allow you to recreate the building if they're detailed enough, it's still not the same thing as being able to experience the actual building. And she suspects that it's one that would take even her a long time to comprehend - it's not similar at all to things that she's already studied.
Leaning back a bit in her seat with that troubled expression still on her face, his question causes her to sigh and freely admit, "I am troubled." Pausing to consider her words for a moment, she partially explains by saying, "I believe that I've seen the effect of this substance, or something very similar, before - I had a brief opportunity to study it on a somewhat more detailed level than what you've shown me."
Pursing her lips as she tries to choose her words and how many of them ought to be said, she finally comments, "This is not mere healing, it flirts with immortality. Which, if you want my opinion, is not merely giving a caveman a sharper stick, but an AK-47. And you think that's wise?" Based on her tone, her own opinion on that isn't an outright 'no', but to say that she's highly skeptical would be putting it mildly. She's certainly not opposed to the idea of advancing medicine, but this? At this point in time?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2014 8:31:14 GMT -5
"I suppose one could argue that all medicine is flirting with immortality. To our caveman ancestors we practically live forever. But that's an interesting philosophical discussion for another day." He shrugged as he said "Frankly, most of what we I wouldn't know if this produces immortality or not unless it's studied. If nothing else, it suggests some interesting paths of understanding. The interplay between the cellular breakdown and cellular reconstruction forces one to rethink basic principles of entropy and the interplay of chemistry, physics and biology. I'd argue that the effects of this sample are on par with . . . unscrambling an egg. Possible, but very difficult to remake. Unless it's triggering something key that exists within the human genome the entire time. And instead of directly causing health, it promotes the body to produce it in itself."
He gestures again and the hologram flickers. A presentation starts to appear, showing Arkham Asylum, then Blackgate, then images of crime ridden streets and then an image of clean streets with people walking across it. "Metropham, a Gotham for a new tomorrow. Imagine walking down the streets in safety. Imagine, industry and economic development. Imagine, education for our schools, scholarships and development of research, and improved quality of life. As part of a partnership between the cities of Metropolis and Gotham, a collaboration of three major corporations and over one hundred nonprofits and small businesses and the local governments of two citites, Metropham offers a better tomorrr---" It flickers off as Lex sighs and says "My apologies, that's still in draft form."
He picks up the box from the table and reaches into his pocket pulling out a small tool. He unscrews the screws quickly while talking "I'm curious, however, personally, to see whether or not the sample triggers some unknown internal healing process already extant in biological matter. The question won't just be can it restore people to life, but whether or not similar mechanisms exist in all life forms. Plants, animals, fungi. Despite the differences in the cellular makeup of these various things, the DNA exists quite clearly, and if there's a way to jumpstart DNA replication, then the applications aren't merely for personal health, but also for solving world hunger or energy through biofuels. . ."
He flicks open part of the tool, a small blue light appears on the end as it sparks quietly, he touches the inside of the box several times, then pulls out another tool from the multitool, another probe it appears, moving things carefully inside it. Perhaps some sort of magnet? Perhaps something else, hard to say "I assure you, normally my creations don't break so easily. But still, it's been getting significant use lately, and it's still in prototype form. . . Perhaps if I use the memory metal that Magnus is . . . hmm, it would be able to restore itself if crushed. . . magnetize that node. . . later" He puts the box on the table, and then twists his watch, wiggling his fingers above it as the hologram appears from the top of the watch, creating a keyboard, a small screen comes up in front of Lex and then he purses his lips and says "That should do it."
The image of the cellular regrowth appears again as Lex looks at her and says "But you said you've seen similar sorts of things before. That's fascinating. What did you think about it?"
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 31, 2014 1:01:07 GMT -5
Nina's lips purse as he seems to shrug off her question - if you ask her, that's not the sort of question one just shrugs at. But she also doesn't see the use of trying to insist upon an answer right now. Instead she sips her Limoncello and lets Lex lead the conversation onward. "I couldn't even hazard a guess about how it works based purely on the aftermath - clearly it's something... unique," she responds in agreement, though she doesn't seem to be very enthusiastic about it.
Her attention shifting back to the hologram as it shifts into a presentation, her expression becomes curious as she watches. She'd heard a bit about the Metropham project from Selina, though she's had so many other things on her mind that she hasn't felt much of a need to get involved with it, but that doesn't mean that she's not interested in what they're doing. Because, clearly, Gotham has a lot of flaws as a city and would need some very substantial help to fix that. And the scale of all this is clearly large enough to accomplish that and worth paying attention to, unlike past attempts that were simply too small to expect any real results. Though that merely means that it's possible - now it's more of a question of whether the correct decisions will be made. Not that she thinks she knows how to accomplish all of those goals - she's good at what she knows, but she doesn't know how to change society out of her own niche.
She looks somewhat amused when the presentation disappears - while she has some interest in the project, the presentation about it is... well, she'll not comment on something that is admittedly a work in progress. She nods to what he's saying as he starts to work on the device, but it's mostly a reiteration and extension of what he was saying before so she feels no need to comment. In fact, she's only half listening - she doesn't know the full answer to his curious questions, not without studying the substance herself, but she knows most of it and while it's very fascinating she's known it for long enough that the initial novelty has worn off. So what's far more interesting to her is simply watching him repair the device - she literally hasn't the slightest idea how it works.
She'll freely admit that she doesn't know very much about technology, and such advanced technology most of all, so it sparks her curiosity about the unknown even though she's not so sure it would be a productive use of her time to learn more about it than she needs to in order to complete her other work. And though she can't say that she's much impressed that he simply has such a thing - she's guessing that he has the means to get pretty much anything that he wants - it hadn't occurred to her that he'd made it personally rather than getting it from elsewhere until he says so and proves it by repairing it with obvious expertise. That is impressive, and she smiles as she remarks, "I hate it when my prototypes have bugs." While what she does is completely different, there's also a lot of similarities - she's an inventor too, though her medium is biology rather than technology. "Of course... some of my prototypes are bugs," she jokes, "And my test subjects." Though different kinds, naturally.
When he's finished and the images from before reappear, her eyes go back to them but his question causes her to look at him with a pensive frown. "Once before. The results were very... thorough. Troublingly thorough... Beyond mere health," she tries to describe, "Remarkable but disturbing... I'm sure that there must be a better method with less questionable results."
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Deleted Member
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Registered On: May 6, 2024 0:29:45 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2014 6:25:25 GMT -5
He looks sheepish and a little put off as he finishes putting the device back together. He flicks it a final time and lets the image show up again. He nods as he says "I'll need to modify the pickup a bit. It's a portable design, which is new. I've been working with a more stationary one for some time, and I've mostly gotten the bugs out of it. The feedback's the tricky bit, requiring motion sensitivity, spacial recognition, and of course biofeedback. Once it's done right, though, I think it'll be the new standard for interaction with computational software. It's just so intuitive. And once, of course, I can get a tactile feedback to it. . . either through compressed air, or, if I ever get them working properly, force fields. . . well, I think we can make something really useful here. Still, not quite perfect yet. So I'll just keep working on it." He grins at her joke about the bugs saying "I've thought about insects. I made a few at one point when I was working more in robotics. See, that's how I got my start. Mechanics, servo creation. That was how I made my fortune, I created a servo and sold the design to the government. A lot of automation technology comes from LexCorp, and a lot of the early technology comes from me personally. I don't have as much time as I used to, unfortunately. The work of business takes me away from my shop and my lab, but . . . well, it's hard to stop once one gets a passion. I see most of my business and political work as a bit of a sacrifice, honestly. I maintain a calm view about it, and enjoy the challenge, certainly. But I work with a number of brilliant minds who never found their place in the world. I'd love the chance to just work on my designs and my inventions again, but that's not a luxury I feel I can afford, anymore." He shrugs as he says "I suppose I see myself doing what I do, so that people like you can continue doing what you do."
He sighs as he says shrugs as he says "The sample, however, is a fascinating natural chemical formation that we little understand. I wish I could say that Doctor Holland here invented it. Or that any of my people discovered it. But it's a natural compound, and the results are thorough and little understood. While I wish we could modulate its effectiveness, we can currently only simulate it and study it. If it's not a worthwhile direction of study for you, you don't need to look into it. In fact, it's far too unpredictable and resource intensive to reproduce, I'd much prefer alternate pathways. This substance. . . I agree . . . is dangerous, and while I seek to understand it, I don't particularly want to use it as the basis of a new world. For one thing. . . I don't think we'd survive it. I for one agree with you. I would much prefer an alternate method with less destructive results. But still, I wonder if there's something to learn from it or not. Either way, more information is always useful to someone trying to reconsider the world at large and our place in it."
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
~ Relationship Status: Single
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Post by Nina Stenet on Apr 15, 2014 4:38:27 GMT -5
Nodding slowly, Nina suddenly finds herself actually having to work pretty hard to keep up with what he's saying. Not that she doesn't understand the words that he's using, but some of the jargon she isn't exactly used to hearing on a daily basis and some of their definitions aren't completely remembered so she's having to guess based on context. Still, she recognizes that inventive process: refinements and additions until the result is all that you wanted it to be. Though she avoids using it whenever she can in her own work - why reinvent the wheel completely when something in nature probably already does nearly the same thing? - she's done it herself a time or two and so can empathize with the combination of frustration when it's not going well, pleasure when it is, and excitement for the future prospects of creating something new. Though it's completely outside of her field, which is something she rarely strays out of, her interest is unfeigned.
She can't help but smile even bigger when he enjoys her joke, though she's back to nodding again as he explains the technology that he used to get his start and how his career has shifted since. Though the latter causes the smile on her face to fade rather quickly. "That's a shame! I'd imagine the sheer number of people who could manage the business and politics required to supply those who are striving for the betterment of mankind vastly outnumber those who could invent something such as this," she says gesturing toward the holoprojector, "They could but instead they use it in a quest to help themselves. If you can invent things like that, your talents are wasted in managing others. Not that I think you shouldn't - but I'd call it more than a 'bit' of a sacrifice, and it's frustrating that we're in a world where you'd be even needed in that capacity." Because, yes, she has some rather firm opinions on this subject.
And having given them, she turns her attention back to the sample and frowns at it. "Natural..." she asks with a frown, "It strikes me as something that would have a biochemical origin..." Which is just a guess on her part - the other possibility would be that it somehow formed from entirely geologic processes without the interference of any form of life, which would seem even more odd to her. But she looks just noticeably relieved when he says that not only does she not need to look into it, but he agrees that it's dangerous and perhaps not the most ideal path to pursue. Nodding, she says, "Personally, I believe that the best approach tends to be the closest to nature. If something living already does it without problems, then the method is probably the most sound - nature has a rather harsh vetting process, after all." Natural selection passes swift judgment upon any ideas that are more trouble than they're worth, after all.
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