Most people I would say have little awareness of a fairly unbelievable medical process that really got going over a decade ago in which a person’s DNA can be edited, just like software code. Here’s a bit of background on the process.
CRISPR was discovered in Japan back in 1987, later understood to be part of a bacteria’s immune system in which bacteria prevent the invasion of viruses by storing a copy of the virus’s DNA (by cutting a piece of the DNA out). When the same virus attempts to reinfect the bacteria, the bacteria’s Cas protein uses the stored DNA copy (CRISPR) to match the one in the attacking virus, then like a pair of molecular scissors, cuts out the same sequence DNA to disarm it. Over time, scientists have figured out how to modify this process to not only cut but also replace, specific genes in the human genome. Cut-and-paste gene editing, as well as silencing or activating genes is here and already used for example in our food. Some of that is due to CRISPR, and unlike the GMO process which might insert fish genes into your fruit, CRISPR simply tweaks existing genes, and it’s here today. You can buy apples that have had their genes modified such that the apple does not brown after you cut it.
Today, gene editing is already fast on its way to becoming a mainstream treatment for genetic illnesses, with dozens of companies already on the market developing genetic cures. It appears to be the holy grail of repairing defective genes and among the most miraculous of cures today. For example, just last year, a cure for the fairly well-known genetic disease of sickle cell disease was brought to market. Some are immediately sceptical and suggest patients will need treatment for a lifetime, but that is not the case. It takes one dose.
How could anyone deny that such tools can cure humanity of so many diseases? Today, 6 out of 10 people will be affected by a condition that has some genetic background. It is now generally believed that around 40% of all diseases have a genetic origin and that 80% of rare diseases have genetic origins. Clearly, CRISPR and improved alternatives to CRISPR, which will arrive over time, are invaluable to solving countless diseases plaguing humanity. But then, what’s next?
The potential for “designer babies” has already been a discussion for many years now. Even adults should be able to start changing simple things like eye color, hair color, and skin color. Some traits like the [ai made this up, so I need to research still] curliness of your hair and lactose intolerance may involve only one or two genes, while others like height, eye color, and intelligence may involve thousands or tens=of thousands, but even the more complex traits will be changeable with gene-editing tools, given enough time.
There is a precedent for this shift from curative to __________. Plastic surgery’s original purpose was to treat disfigurement and ……, but today, the primary use is primarily to improve one’s looks. The transition of “reducing pain” to “increasing the pleasure” continues. Others?
likely though that the first race after diseases are cured, will be to increase intelligence and beauty, but like most things, as society improves on these, society’s minimum bar of “what is good” enough always moves higher in the never-ending rat race of life.
What about “ethics”? Consider that over time, the guard of ethics always shifts, and as long as the dominant paradigm does not reject pleasure, and as long as govt. does not intrude directly in private life destroying all freedom, then it can be assured that genetic editing will march forward, just like any piercings or body art today. And if other people are using it to increase their intelligence dramatically, then chances are, everyone else will need to do the same just to remain competitive.
Who doesn’t want to be just a little smarter, a little better looking, a little more successful? Gene modification will provide all that! When a mother says “I could get more done if I had four arms” and “if had eyes on the back of my head,” understand that gene-editing tech will eventually solve that problem.
If editing our DNA becomes increasingly easy, given enough time, the ability to change ourselves into anything we imagine ourselves to be, will occur. Do you want to be a giant today or a dwarf? How about a troll, fairy, or even a flying unicorn (Pegasus)? Perhaps you fancy being a T-rex, or brontosaurus, with your brain of course? With DNA essentially being very much like complex software code, and an increasing number of tools to modify it, much like software, there will be few limits to what we can change about ourselves.
But will there be increased demand for genes of love? Considering the dearth of courses and jobs for such today, the answer seems to be a very likely “no.” In fact, while scientists like to measure genes that predict IQ, do they measure genes that predict love? Maybe there should be a standardized test for love, both in one’s ability and measure of success.
The ultimate question though is really, if we can modify our genes to become anyone or anything we want, what does this mean if we are not simply an accident of the universe, but instead the creation of a Creator?
HumanIT 