This is Dyson at his best -- a silver star, at the very least. I can't believe no one told me about this article before now. If you're not a subscriber, check it out on your local newsstand today.

When children start to play with real genes, evolution as we know it will change forever, argues physicist and futurist Freeman Dyson.

Will the domestication of technology, which we have seen marching from triumph to triumph with the advent of personal computers, GPS receivers and digital cameras, soon be extended from physical technology to biotechnology? I believe the answer is yes.

When you were a kid, maybe you had a chemistry lab. Maybe you thought it was cool. Perhaps you also had a family pet -- a cat, maybe, or a dog. Possibly a bird, fish, or hamster.

For tomorrow's kids, the family pet and the chemistry set are become one. This is the new convergence.

And here you thought growing up with cell phones and YouTube was interesting.

[ Flying kittens, here I come! -k]

Make me a hipporoo, by Freeman Dyson | New Scientist