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The Future Legality of Gene Editing Embryos

Problem with that is that unless you get rid of privacy (fat chance), those of great skill and not so willing to bow to regulations will simply go somewhere else. So unless you treat such geneticists less as people and more like extremely valuable patent factories... someone, somewhere is going to try to get rid of other ethnic groups via synth plagues or create child super soldiers by the shitload... to start.
Yeah. Synth plagues and child super soldiers suck.
 
Problem with that is that unless you get rid of privacy (fat chance), those of great skill and not so willing to bow to regulations will simply go somewhere else. So unless you treat such geneticists less as people and more like extremely valuable patent factories... someone, somewhere is going to try to get rid of other ethnic groups via synth plagues or create child super soldiers by the shitload... to start.

Well you could put restrictions on genetics research. Currently the methods used to make nuclear warheads are not known to the general public, and only trusted individuals are allowed to learn it. It could come to pass that the same applies to geneticists; anyone who's likely to abuse this knowledge won't be given access to it.

Moreover, super-soldiers are too impractical. The cost of one super-soldier would probably be far less than that of 10-30 normal soldiers.
 
Yeah. Synth plagues and child super soldiers suck.
Yeah, it used to take decades to produce effective bioweapon for about three quarters of last century. Now you can make a super bug in a mere fraction of the time.
Well you could put restrictions on genetics research. Currently the methods used to make nuclear warheads are not known to the general public, and only trusted individuals are allowed to learn it. It could come to pass that the same applies to geneticists; anyone who's likely to abuse this knowledge won't be given access to it.
That would require that any geneticists will have no privacy at all, which is a no-go for the West...
Moreover, super-soldiers are too impractical. The cost of one super-soldier would probably be far less than that of 10-30 normal soldiers.
Problem is that we don't know what some asshole would cook up to make all that cost worthwhile.
 
That would require that any geneticists will have no privacy at all, which is a no-go for the West...

Not necessarily. Knowledge aside, access to the technology to make genetic modifications could also be restricted. You might know how to engineer a child who is in constant pain, but you can't do anything with that knowledge if the gene-splicing machine is locked up in secure government labs. Moreover, if the government declares this knowledge classified you could be arrested and imprisoned if you try to leak it or teach it to others without approval (in the real world scientists have even been executed for leaking nuclear secrets).
 
Not necessarily. Knowledge aside, access to the technology to make genetic modifications could also be restricted. You might know how to engineer a child who is in constant pain, but you can't do anything with that knowledge if the gene-splicing machine is locked up in secure government labs. Moreover, if the government declares this knowledge classified you could be arrested and imprisoned if you try to leak it or teach it to others without approval (in the real world scientists have even been executed for leaking nuclear secrets).
Problem is that you'll have problems keeping that technology secure, especially since most of that tech is corporate and they won't give it up without a fight...
 
Problem with that is that unless you get rid of privacy (fat chance), those of great skill and not so willing to bow to regulations will simply go somewhere else. So unless you treat such geneticists less as people and more like extremely valuable patent factories... someone, somewhere is going to try to get rid of other ethnic groups via synth plagues or create child super soldiers by the shitload... to start.
Biological weapons are problem already. Too easy to make, too deadly to use, and harder to regulate than nuclear weapons...

Ethnic cleansing using biological weapons is unlikely, simply because it is complex, making common cold more lethal is more likely. It is obviously a reason for regulations to exist on international level in the first place....

Rest is not much of the problem. Gene modding is bound to be complex, and prohibitively expensive, require an advanced technology, with no immediate benefits, which means that modding the rich elite or future child soldier would be done only in very rich countries which are unlikely to be sanctioned by US in the first place - more like US, less like North Korea. Which isn't something you are worried about.
 
Biological weapons are problem already. Too easy to make, too deadly to use, and harder to regulate than nuclear weapons...

Ethnic cleansing using biological weapons is unlikely, simply because it is complex, making common cold more lethal is more likely. It is obviously a reason for regulations to exist on international level in the first place....

Rest is not much of the problem. Gene modding is bound to be complex, and prohibitively expensive, require an advanced technology, with no immediate benefits, which means that modding the rich elite or future child soldier would be done only in very rich countries which are unlikely to be sanctioned by US in the first place - more like US, less like North Korea. Which isn't something you are worried about.
Problem is that the tech has been practically freefalling in terms of expense and experience. A lot of the more complex stuff is offloaded to computers. Sure an experienced would make the best use of it, but someone that is dedicated and/or fanatical, has just enough knowledge, and the right equipment can make a shitload of problems.
 
Problem is that the tech has been practically freefalling in terms of expense and experience. A lot of the more complex stuff is offloaded to computers. Sure an experienced would make the best use of it, but someone that is dedicated and/or fanatical, has just enough knowledge, and the right equipment can make a shitload of problems.
No, not really, it would have to advance to the point that make your own virus software is written.

Of course, situation like that can happen, but it is going to happen only at the point where gene editing is so common everyone does so at home, on his own volition.
 
No, not really, it would have to advance to the point that make your own virus software is written.

Of course, situation like that can happen, but it is going to happen only at the point where gene editing is so common everyone does so at home, on his own volition.
You've based your assumptions on those of yesteryear, not what is available. It took decades with a great power/superpower grade nation-state to create bioweapons. All that work was available to a mid-sized biotech company years ago, and it has only improved since...
 
You've based your assumptions on those of yesteryear, not what is available. It took decades with a great power/superpower grade nation-state to create bioweapons. All that work was available to a mid-sized biotech company years ago, and it has only improved since...
And it took decades of development to get to this point, once the research done through government sponsored weapons programs bled through (or was allowed to bleed through) to civilian sector. And still, it is something that is available in rich countries, involving a lot of expensive equipment (that itself is regulated by law), and requite a lot of qualified personnel. Yes, it may be easier to get a doctor to work for you, as more people get specialized education, and technology is more advanced and readily available, but that all required decades of development.

Gene editing is still in realm of speculative fiction now.

Yes, it is likely it may actually be possible in the future, but it will take decades of research and it may actually not get to the point when you can print diseases on your home computer with some program downloaded from Internet.
 
CRISPR/Cas9 is not speculative fiction.
It is proof of concept. It proven that genetic editing is possible. Requires highly expensive equipment, and highly qualified personnel. It is nowhere close to one click on home computer to produce ebola Aaron makes it to be.
 
It is proof of concept. It proven that genetic editing is possible. Requires highly expensive equipment, and highly qualified personnel.
No it doesn't. You can get a CRISPR kit in the mail.

The technology is a breakthrough. There's probably a lot of animal testing on this already.
 
It is proof of concept. It proven that genetic editing is possible. Requires highly expensive equipment, and highly qualified personnel. It is nowhere close to one click on home computer to produce ebola Aaron makes it to be.
But that has been dropping in terms of experience and expense for a while now...
 
I'm okay with it if it means stuff like stopping diseases or extending the human lifespan. Although I doubt I'll live to see an age where the word ''lifespan'' means nothing, I hope to see its precursors being put into action.
 
I'm okay with it if it means stuff like stopping diseases or extending the human lifespan. Although I doubt I'll live to see an age where the word ''lifespan'' means nothing, I hope to see its precursors being put into action.
Biologically, it appears that humans have a 'max' of 120... and this isn't likely to stop at diseases and extending lifespan either, it is likely that you'll see something similar to the prelude to the webcomic Genocide Man where every fucktard and their ideas (many of which end up being essentially genocide and 'settling' ethnic grudges) happens.
 
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