While we are still far away from genetically enhanced mutants with superpowers, we’re getting closer to a future where it’s more fact than fiction.
A team of scientists in China altered the genes of (nonviable) human embryos (as part of an experiment to explore the feasibility of using gene alteration to treat disease). Some kinks still need to be worked out. While targeting a specific gene, the test unintentionally altered other, unrelated genes. The experiment demonstrates that gene alteration is not yet ready for clinical human trials and conventional medicine.
Genetic manipulation may become commonplace in the future, and now may be a good time for speculative fiction writers to start chiming in on possible social ramifications. If gene alteration led to unexpected changes and mutations, is the public ready to welcome an “altered” human? How we treat or denigrate this new potential demographic may be a major social issue of future generations.
A team of scientists in China altered the genes of (nonviable) human embryos (as part of an experiment to explore the feasibility of using gene alteration to treat disease). Some kinks still need to be worked out. While targeting a specific gene, the test unintentionally altered other, unrelated genes. The experiment demonstrates that gene alteration is not yet ready for clinical human trials and conventional medicine.
Genetic manipulation may become commonplace in the future, and now may be a good time for speculative fiction writers to start chiming in on possible social ramifications. If gene alteration led to unexpected changes and mutations, is the public ready to welcome an “altered” human? How we treat or denigrate this new potential demographic may be a major social issue of future generations.
