I thought someone would have posted this by now... EXCLUSIVE: Chinese scientists are creating CRISPR babies According to Chinese medical documents posted online this month (here and here), a team at the Southern University of Science and Technology, in Shenzhen, has been recruiting couples in an effort to create the first gene-edited babies. They planned to eliminate a gene called CCR5 in hopes of rendering the offspring resistant to HIV, smallpox, and cholera. Frankly, I welcome our new, genetically engineered overlords. The damaged mutation of CCR5 occurs naturally in Northern European populations, and since that provides a limited natural immunity to HIV and some other diseases, I can't see a problem with this.
The next step will be to edit genes for intelligence. When you can only have one child, the family is willing to make whatever investment in that offspring that is possible. There's going to be a big demand for this in China. Remember, this is the society that has no problem with sex-selective abortions because they want their child to be a boy.
I like how some people erupt into outrage that a baby might have been genetically modified. HA! HA! This is our future, why do some want to hold us back???
The real question will come when mixed race babies are "edited". Since assumedly the woman will have the final say what happens when a white woman decides to have the "black" genes removed from her baby altogether and substituted for white genes?
It looks like the experiment resulted in the birth of two healthy twin girls. The Crispr baby news was carefully orchestrated PR—until it all went wrong
Between this and future implanted technologies we will evolve ourselves and modify our species to live on land, in water, in space and other biospheres.
More likely with the white-hating trend these days, a white couple in NYC will decide to have black genes inserted into their child to make him more "diverse".
Designer babies have been talked about for some time now. They have virtually eliminated Down's syndrome in Iceland and people seem to be fine with that. At some point though we will get to where people can pick and choose which specific traits they want their baby to have and race will be one of those traits. Don't want your kid to not have a small penis...just remove any Asian DNA. Want your kid to be super successful when they grow up then sprinkle more Asian DNA.
Aborting babies with undesirable traits is a little bit different from gene editing, albeit some of the ethical issues may be comparable.
I'm no scientist, but I don't think that "Don't want your kid to not have a small penis...just remove any Asian DNA" is how it works. But your comment was about mixed race babies and white women having black genes removed. That's not what I'm not following.
It may have a new name but they still be there and no the moral majority was around during Clinton was president then they switched to the Heritage Foundation during Bush jr. for their spiritual guidance.
Usually it's a religiously bound president who has stopped it from happening in the US for the last thirty years.
Political backlash because race is a sacred cow. At what point do the same people that say its fine now all of a sudden say "That's going to far"? Will everyone be fine when all the babies have blonde hair and blue eyes because that it the popular look? I personally have a problem with aborting babies just because they have Down's syndrome. The same people that will chastise you for using the word retard because its insensitive are the same people saying that its perfectly OK to abort any handicapped children. They are basically saying that if you have any medical conditions you are worthless. At some point we will be able to edit genes to that EVERYONE is super strong and super smart meaning a permanent overclass of super babies because we all know that only wealthy people will be able to afford this in the future. At least right now you can be born poor but still win the genetic lottery. In the future any poor people with good genes will have to compete with every single wealthy super baby. Social mobility is going to come to a dead stop.
You seriously think we would be making CRISPR babies but for our devoutly religious President? OHHH KAAYYYY............
I admit I have a hard time relating that to your original comment. A woman who is having a mixed race baby will want to have the black genes replaced because of...a fad? She changed her mind and now wants her kid to have blond hair and blue eyes? A woman who is having a mixed race baby is probably wanting a mixed race baby.
