Chapter 8 introduces the reader to CRISPR, a method of editing genes. This is not one of my fabrications, it is a powerful, and as said in the book, inexpensive tool for splicing genes of basically any species. For an excellent introduction to CRISPR, watch this video on Vox: “Genome Editing with CRISPR-Cas9. ”
However, just because we can do something does not mean we should do it. But, I think we are all beginning to believe that because we can do something means some asshole will do it. Every technology can be put to both good and evil causes. We have been genetically modifying our food supply since the beginning of agriculture – just ask those Thanksgiving turkeys about their ancestors.
I also don’t think it is totally ridiculous to consider that parents would modify their children with surgery to give them some benefits. For proof of this, consider that when I lived in Dallas, the #1 graduation present for females in Plano, a wealthy suburb of Dallas, was breast augmentation surgery. HMMMM teenage girls from Plano and Thanksgiving Turkeys have lots in common. Now, if they could just edit the genes for boob size, those gals could save an operation. If the choice was between that and something to make them smarter, which gift would the parents bestow?
