Hacking Darwin summary

Darwinian evolutionary theory and Mendelian genetics began an unprecedented age of biotechnical progress. At the heart of this progress is our understanding of genetics. So let’s start with some basics.

Our genetic code is made up of pairs of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, molecules stacked in a sequence that forms a double helix. There are four kinds of nucleotides, or DNA molecules, commonly known by their first letter: G, A, T, or C. Each pair of nucleotides contains one molecule inherited from our mother and one inherited from our father. The sequence in which these molecules are strung together form unique units of genetic code known as genes.

Even with the help of AI technology, we are only at the beginning of solving the secrets of the human genome. Nonetheless, scientists have made groundbreaking progress in the realm of reproductive technologies.

Reproductive technology can be as simple as preventing reproduction between two carriers of a recessive disease. Take Tay-Sachs, a recessive genetic disorder carried by around four percent of Ashkenazi Jews. Affected children suffer a painful death through the slow destruction of their nerve cells. By avoiding reproduction between two carriers who test positive through genome sequencing, the Orthodox Jewish community has effectively eliminated Tay-Sachs from the population since the genetic mutation for the disease was identified in 1985.

People tend to be dogmatic about what qualifies as “natural.” That’s why most people are hesitant when it comes to the idea of conceiving babies in a lab. But when you look at the world, you’ll realize that we have been manipulating nature for our own advancement for thousands of years.

Take vaccines. They have been embraced in spite of the seemingly shocking idea of injecting your child with a virus and the risks of having an allergic reaction. Assisted reproduction technology will be no different.

Embryo selection enables prospective parents to select their future offspring based on the genetic makeup of the embryo. But developments in gene editing suggest that in the future, rather than just choosing an embryo, you’ll be able to manipulate your embryo’s genetic code.

Though it has been around since the 1980s, gene-editing is more precise and affordable than ever. This is thanks to the development of the 2010 CRISPR system, which uses bacteria to cut DNA in precise locations, like tiny molecular scissors. In 2015, scientists in China used CRISPR to alter genes in an unimplanted embryo to prevent the development of a severe blood disorder. In 2017, a team in the United States successfully altered defected sperm cells to prevent hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood.

Cultural diversity is part of what makes humanity so special. Unfortunately, it also often leads to conflict. This is especially true when it comes to new technologies. Just look at genetically modified (GM) crops. Studies across the board have revealed that GM crops are as safe to eat as traditional crops. In America and China, farmers have adopted GM seeds to yield more crops using fewer pesticides.

But fearmongering led by anti-GMO activists, who see GM crops as dangerous, led to their being banned by seventeen countries in the EU. The issues surrounding GM food production illustrate how humanity might clash over the regulation of genetic engineering. So far, polls on genetic engineering in the United States reflect that Americans are in favor of manipulating genes to prevent diseases, as well as genetic alterations that would protect their children from harm. But ideological differences will be inevitable.

For years, Russia and China have secretly sponsored doping athletes for international competitions like the Olympics. Not long from now, these and other countries will be able to edit the genes in adult athletes. This will technically be cheating. But, as it will be difficult to determine whether someone has been genetically edited or not, curtailing how genetics will be used in international sporting competitions presents serious challenges.

In the United States, parents can already check the athletic aptitude of their children through genomic tests. Uzbekistan’s national sports program has incorporated genetic testing since 2014. China recently announced that the selection process for the 2022 Winter Olympics will include genetic sequencing. But athletic competition is only a fragment of how competition is driving an international genetic arms race.

Will the universal adoption of embryo selection lead to a homogenous monoculture? Or will genetic enhancements result in new class hierarchies? And how will we treat parents who decide not to engage in genetic engineering? These are just a few of the ethical questions we must face as we march forward into the genetic era.

One of the most pressing concerns about reproductive technologies is diversity. The future of humanity will depend on diversity for survival, as it has for the entirety of our evolution. Genetic alterations that shift sexual orientation or skin color to fit a certain social bias would be socially devastating. More concerning, since we can’t predict for certain what the demands of our future world will be, interfering with our evolutionary processes could accidentally kill off our species.

Ethical concerns are only one potential pitfall of genetic engineering. Terrorists could also use gene-editing to create harmful pathogens to use as weapons. Even unintentionally, the introduction of genetically altered organisms could wipe out whole ecosystems. We need to create national and international institutions to determine the regulation of genetic engineering going forward.

People will argue that setting up an international infrastructure around genetics is not an urgent matter. But just look at our past attempts to create international bodies for regulating potentially devastating technologies. Ratified in 1970, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) has prevented a global nuclear crisis but has failed to prevent the United States and Russia from possessing nuclear weapons or countries like North Korea and Israel from acquiring them. International regulation is often a chaotic and conflict-ridden process.