Genetic engineering: how science is rewriting the human future

Once it was science fiction to change a gene to defeat a disease or enhance intelligence. Today, it's a reality, and as The Economist writes, genetic engineering is already changing not just medicine but the very understanding of human beings.

CRISPR: spot repair of DNA

CRISPR technology allows scientists to precisely edit genes to eliminate inherited diseases or increase the body's resistance to infection. It's like editing text: you find a mistake and you fix it.

From cure to improvement

But where is the line between cure and enhancement? The ability to select embryos without genetic diseases already exists. The next step is to choose according to desirable qualities: intelligence, appearance, physical ability.

Ethical challenges

Such possibilities raise serious questions: won't this lead to increased social inequality? Who will control access to such technologies?

The future is already here

Genetic engineering is not a distant future, but the present. It is important to discuss now how to use its possibilities responsibly and ethically.

Source: The Economist (How genetic engineering will reshape humanity - The Economist)

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