The man is on the threshold of a new age

As the distant Relatives of today's people in front of almost four million years ago, through Africa, roamed, would have been able to run out of history quite differently. They were threatened defenseless monkey, is always in danger of extinction. In Arthur C. Clarke's novel "2001: A Space Odyssey," the APE-man to the arrival of an alien monolith, finally, to a stone. The animal, which is not yet properly man, begins to hunt animals to eat meat, to defend themselves against hazards and other dogs. He is emancipated from the natural range of its environmental fate.

Clarke's book was by Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of the 1968 world famous, a masterpiece of Science Fiction. Less often, the fact that the space Odyssey also tells the story of human Evolution is mentioned – fictional directed by Aliens, the discharge as a monolith, the crucial next steps in the Will of the people.

An alien Monolith is not landed almost four weeks ago in Hong Kong now. However, it was announced that a Chinese scholar of human embryos wants to have changed in the course of artificial insemination genetically. You should have been discharged and born, and would give up their hereditary change to all coming generations. Has seen the children, even weeks later, no-one, there are still doubts that the experiments ever took place.

Video: Chinese researchers announced the birth The scientist He Jiankui claims in November, the babies were for the first time came after a genetic manipulation to the world. (Youtube/The Hey Lab)

But regardless of whether it is wrong, what has brought the researchers He Jiankui the world because of disturbing news: It is that biotechnology allows for such a step today. It is feasible. The man is through the use of modern genetic engineering will be able to take his Evolution into their own hands. He can do what has so far been left largely to chance and natural Selection, it can lend itself to advantageous features and disadvantageous features, wipe out, directly in the genome, because he wants to.

The Instrument that makes it possible is called Crispr-Cas9, is shortened, it is often called just "Crispr". It is a molecule of the ensemble of bacteria, this is far older than man, a product of Evolution designed to fend off viruses, bacteria infect and destroy.

beyond the Status quo

grow grow, Like the stone in the hands of Clarke's apes this Crispr is in the Hand of the modern Homo sapiens is now the means available to the evolutionary Status quo of one's own species. The reactions to He Jiankuis Scoop, it became clear that there are ethical reservations. After all, the technology is understood to be young and incomplete. At the same time, the Chinese chose for the handle into the genome, a feature that has for the continued existence of mankind has little relevance. He wanted to reduce the vulnerability of the children for the Aids virus HIV, or even eliminate. An infection can also be used differently to prevent it.

But after all, as a possible Vision for an application of the new Super-tool, the scenario was already three years ago, has been designed. At the time, the medicine Nobel laureate Craig Mello spoke of, he could well imagine "a change in the germline protects mankind from cancer, Diabetes, and other age-related diseases".

man fights for a long time in an unnatural way

Who doesn't want a better, healthier, and long-term future of human existence? And diseases, poverty and Hunger, problems during pregnancy and birth, human beings fought and finally for thousands of years in an unnatural way. He intervenes by breeding in the genetics of food plants and animals, that creatures, which would have brought about the Evolution.

He has established a scientifically-based medicine, thanks to the life-threatening diseases can be treated less and less children die. People to adjust the environment of the own properties. You drive a car, you heat, you have created a perfect supply network for food, this has to do with nature, nothing more, because it has to do with coincidence, nothing more.

From this perspective, the man has taken his Evolution already in the Hand. Also a lot of smart people in the science. Harvey Fineberg, for example, former Harvard Professor of health research, has reflected before the invention of the Genschere Crispr-Cas9 in a Ted Talk on Neo-Evolution. The person no longer has many opportunities to develop. An Option is to stay in the, what is it, velvet disease, and limited span of life. Another, "enticing, intriguing and frightening possibility" is, in contrast, the self-determined Evolution, "led and decided by us as individuals".

The Unfitten be made to fit

Fineberg did not design babies, which must always serve as a vision of horror says, although those are planned for children to be biologically impossible. The health expert thinks of what drives him as a doctor. "I came to the realization that I am aiming for as a doctor on a target other than the goal of Evolution is not necessarily contradictory, but different." The Unfitten that would have no Chance in the struggle for Survival, they are just made to fit, in order to create it.

The other side of the man, rather than a precious and unique in the product range of the Evolution, an unlikely creature that needs to be protected from themselves. The Israeli historian Yuval Harari has discussed the genetic Manipulation of the human species in his first book "A brief history of mankind", also appeared before the Crispr Revolution. "Genetic engineering is not going to kill us, although not necessarily, but it could go as far as Homo sapiens is no longer to be recognized", writes Harari. This fear is not to share a few. And Yes, it is now spoken also in the policy about whether you should use Crispr to the people.

The crucial question of dealing with the possibilities but the politicians are so far, they referred to the Unity of science, that such people are trying to reject. What is not true. The majority of scientists, and not just the time, and who deals with Crispr and his abilities, knows what will happen to the humanity.

You can condemn it or salute: Even without the influence of an alien monolith, the man is on the threshold of a new age, which will not be purely driven by artificial intelligence, but solid through genetic engineering. It is the responsibility of the human will, to make this step. Or, to say it with Harari: "The most important question of mankind is: What are we not allowed to? But: What we want to be?" (Editorial Tamedia)

Created: 25.12.2018, 19:02 PM