Designer Babies Are Coming Sooner Than You Think

A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS FROM THE UNITED STATES, CHINA, AND ALSO
SOUTH KOREA HAVE FOUND A WAY TO PRECISELY ADDED DNA IN
HUMAN EMBRYOS IN ORDER TO FIGHT WHAT IS REFERRED TO AS A
DISEASE GENE.
SUPER FASCINATING.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT OTHER SCIENTISTS ARE REALLY
WORRIED ABOUT BECAUSE THEY THINK IT WILL LEAD TO THE
EMERGENCE OF SO-CALLED DESIGNER BABIES BUT THE SCIENTISTS
WORKING ON THIS EXPERIMENT ARE SPECIFICALLY LOOKING FOR
WAYS TO DO AWAY WITH THE GENES THAT LEAD TO SERIOUS
LIFE-THREATENING DISEASES LATER ON IN YOUR LIFE.
THIS INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF SCIENTISTS REPORTS THAT
THEY HAVE, FOR THE FIRST TIME, FIGURED OUT A WAY TO
SUCCESSFULLY EDIT THE DNA AND HUMAN EMBRYOS WITHOUT
INTRODUCING THE HARMFUL MUTATIONS THAT WERE A
PROBLEM IN PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS ELSEWHERE DOTS THOSE PREVIOUS
ATTEMPTS ELSEWHERE WERE ACTUALLY IN CHINA, WHERE THEY ATTEMPTED
TO DO THE SAME THING BUT IT LED TO OTHER MUTATIONS THAT
COULD HAVE LED TO OTHER DISEASES FOR HUMANS IN THE FUTURE.
THE NEW EXPERIMENT USED A POWERFUL NEW GENE EDITING
TECHNIQUE TO CORRECT A GENETIC DEFECT BEHIND A HEART
DISORDER THAT CAN CAUSE SEEMINGLY HEALTHY YOUNG
PEOPLE TO SUDDENLY DIE FROM HEART FAILURE.
OTHER POTENTIAL USES IF THEY FINE-TUNE THIS, KEEP STUDYING
AND FIND THAT IT WILL BE EFFECTIVE, IT COULD HELP
CURE PEOPLE OR PREVENT I SHOULD SAY, PREVENT HUNTINGTON'S
DISEASE, CYSTIC FIBROSIS, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, BREAST
AND A VERY AND CANCER BUT I WANT TO BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WILL NOW BE IMPLEMENTED.
AGAIN, THEY WANT TO DO MORE STUDIES AND THEY ALSO HAVE
SOME ETHICAL CONCERNS TO ADDRESS AS WELL.
IT IS OVER.
WE'RE GOING TO INVOLVE OURSELVES OUT OF EXISTENCE.
WE'RE GOING TO BANANA OURSELVES.
THERE WILL BE SUPERHUMANS.
IT IS ALREADY OVER.
IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME THOUGHT IT
WAS NICE KNOWING US.
HOMO SAPIENS, YOU HAD A GOOD RUN.
LET ME EXPLAIN.
1ST OF ALL, I THINK THE INTERVIEW WITH SOME DOCTORS
THAT IS UP ON TYT INTERVIEWS ABOUT SIMILAR PROCEDURES AND THE
REASON WHY THEY ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO DO THIS IS TWOFOLD.
ONE, TECHNOLOGY KEEPS IMPROVING SO THEY WILL GET BETTER AND
BETTER AND LIKE ANNA SAID, WE SEE THIS AND IT DIDN'T WORK.
NOW IT DOES.
2, PEOPLE REALLY NEED IT AND SO THOSE DISEASES ARE
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.
BREAST CANCER KILL SOME NEW PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY, LET
ALONE ALZHEIMER'S.
YOU COULD JUST KNOCK THAT OUT IN THE GENE LEVEL THAT WOULD
BE AMAZING.
AND THOSE ARE JUST FOR EXAMPLES.
THIS IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG.
ONCE YOU GET INTO THE GENES, WENT UP EXHIBIT THINGS?
IN FACT, THE DOCTORS I WAS TALKING TO WAS ABOUT A VERY
RED CONDITION WHERE YOUR HEART STOPS ALL OF A SUDDEN.
IS REALLY SIMILAR TO THE STORY.
IF IT IS GENETIC AND YOU THINK YOUR KIDS HAVE A, AND THEY
COULD DIE AT ANY MOMENT WITHOUT WARNING, WHAT WOULD YOU DO
TO FIX THAT?
ANYTHING, RIGHT?
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO INVESTIGATE THIS.
WE ARE ALREADY VERY CLOSE TO SOLVING AND THEN THEY ARE
GOING TO DO IT.
ADMITTEDLY SO.
I WOULD DO IT.
ONCE YOU START DOING IT, THERE IS NO INTO IT.
THE MINUTE YOU CAN KURT CURE CYSTIC FIBROSIS, SOMEONE IS
GOING TO SAY, I WANTED WAS A LITTLE TALLER.
CAN YOU DO THAT?
TECHNICALLY, NOT YET. IS IT THEORETICALLY POSSIBLE?
ENORMOUSLY POSSIBLE/ALMOST EASY.
I'M A SCIENTIST AND SCIENTISTS GO ON THE COMMON SECTION, AND I
DON'T OVERSIMPLIFY IT, BUT IT IS NOT DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT THAN
THIS PROCEDURE AND THEY EXPLAIN IN THE NEW YORK TIMES AND
MPR AND ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO COVERED IT, GUESS, IT IS
POSSIBLE.
TALLER, STRONGER.
THE SUPER BABIES.
WE CALL THEM SUPER BABIES BUT THEY REALLY ARE SUPERHUMANS.
IT IS ALMOST A DIFFERENT SPECIES BECAUSE IT IS NO LONGER
GENETICALLY US
IT IS GENETICALLY MODIFIED HUMANS AND WHAT, I WANT TO
BE CLEAR.
THE INTENTION OF THE SCIENTISTS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
CREATING SUPERIOR HUMANS.
THEY GENUINELY WANT TO ALTER AND EMBRYOS A GENETIC MAKEUP TO
PREVENT VERY SERIOUS ILLNESSES AND DISEASES IN THE FUTURE.
FOR INSTANCE, JUST TO GIVE YOU A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE, THERE IS
THE BRCA GENE AND THAT IS THE ONE THAT COULD LEAD TO
BREAST CANCER PROSTATE CANCER IF IT IS SOMETHING THAT HEREDITARY.
SO IF YOU HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER WHO HAD THAT TYPE OF CANCER AND
YOU HAVE THAT SPECIFIC GENE, YOU ARE LIKELY OR YOU HAVE A HIGHER
LIKELIHOOD TO ALSO GET CANCER LATER IN YOUR LIFE, AND SO
THROUGH THIS RESEARCH, THEY ARE HOPING THAT THEY CAN OPEN ALTER
THAT GENE IN AN EMBRYO IN ORDER TO PREVENT THAT INDIVIDUAL FROM
HAVING THAT TYPE OF CANCER LATER ON IN HIS OR HER LIFE.
I THINK THAT THEIR INTENTIONS ARE TO THINK THEIR
INTENTIONS ARE GREAT, BUT IS THERE THE POTENTIAL OF A
SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH BEING ABUSE IN THE FUTURE?
OF COURSE.
JUST LIKE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS.
FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO BE SUPER CLEAR.
I LOVE THE SCIENTISTS.
AS AN ATHEIST, LET ME JUST SAY, THEY ARE DOING GOD'S WORK.
THIS IS AN AMAZING STUFF AND THANK GOD FOR THEM.
NO ONE MAY GIVE YOU A NOTE OF CAUTION.
THE DIRECTOR FOR THE SENATOR CENTER OF GENETICS AND
SOCIETY SAY I THINK IT'S A EXTRAORDINARILY DISTURBING.
IT'S A FLAGRANT DISREGARD FOR CALLS FOR BROAD SOCIETAL
CONSISTENCE IN DECISIONS ABOUT A REALLY MOMENTOUS TECHNOLOGY
THAT COULD BE USED FOR GOOD, BUT IN THIS CASE IS BEING USED
IN PREPARATION FOR AN EXTRAORDINARILY RISKY
APPLICATION.
WE CAN DISAGREE ABOUT HOW RISKY IT IS AN OBVIOUSLY
EVENTUALLY THE FDA WILL PLAY A PART OF THE PROCESS OF
IMPROVING IT AND BOY IT WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH A SIGNIFICANT
PROCESS, BUT IT DOES NOT MATTER IF OUR FDA HAS CERTAIN RULES.
AND A RED AS YOU.
THEIR CHINESE, SOUTH KOREAN RESEARCHERS DOING THIS.
CHINA'S HAVING DIFFERENT.
THEY ALREADY TRYING IT.
THEY ARE.
KEEP IN MIND ALSO THAT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES THERE ARE
CERTAIN LAWS OR ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO PREVENT
EXPERIMENTS INTO THIS.
THERE IS THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH AND THERE IS ALSO THE
FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, THE FDA AND THEY HAVE
BANNED EXPERIENCE EXPERIMENTS WITH EMBRYOS LIKE THIS.
BUT IN THE UK, RESEARCHERS HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT
AND THEY ARE ABLE TO EXPLORE AND EXPERIMENT AND TRY TO
FIGURE OUT WHETHER OR NOT THIS COULD BE A POTENTIAL
BENEFIT FOR THE HUMAN RACE IN THE FUTURE.
BY THE WAY, SHE SAYS IT COULD HAVE DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES.
THAT IS TRUE, BUT WE'RE MAKING A VALUE JUDGMENT.
IS IT DISASTROUS IF THERE ARE BUNCH OF HUMANS OUT THERE
THAT ARE STRONGER AND FASTER AND SMARTER?
MAYBE NOT DISASTROUS.
BUT IF WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF HUMANS OUT THERE
AND I KNOW I AM WAY OVER SIMPLIFYING BECAUSE DON'T GET
INTO WHETHER IT'S THE SAME SPECIES OR NOT.
THAT'S NOT
IMPORTANT.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS THAT THEY'RE GENETICALLY MODIFIED.
BUT, THE MINUTE YOU MODIFY THE GENES FOR CYSTIC
FIBROSIS, IT DOES NOT MATTER YOU DID IT FOR A GOOD REASON.
THAT IS A GENETICALLY MODIFIED PERSON.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN BAD.
WE'RE PUTTING VALUE JUDGMENTS ON IT, BUT WE DO NOT KNOW.
OF COURSE, THERE'S ALSO THE CHANCE THAT ONCE YOU START
PLAYING AROUND WITH THE GENES, YOU MIGHT ACCIDENTALLY
TRIGGER SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T REALIZE.
I THINK THAT IS ONE OF THE FEARS AND ALSO, LOOKING WAY
FORWARD IN THE FUTURE, LET'S SAY THAT THIS TYPE OF MEDICAL
ADVANCEMENT HAS BEEN TESTED, PROVEN, IT IS SAFE AND
PEOPLE HAVE THE OPTION OF USING IT.
WHAT ABOUT THE DISADVANTAGED?
ARE THEY GOING TO HAVE ACCESS TO THIS?
WHO IS GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SUPER BABIES?
IT IS GOING TO BE THE WEALTHY.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS AND I KNOW IT
IS A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD, BUT IT'S NOT THAT FAR
DOWN THE ROAD BECAUSE TECHNOLOGY IS MOVING AT 100
MILES AN HOUR AND WE CAN ALREADY DO IT INSIDE EMBRYOS.
THIS IS NOW GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO REALITY.
THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN OUR LIFETIMES.
IF IT TURNS OUT ONLY THE RICH CAN AFFORD IT, THEN THE RICH
HAVE THE SUPERHUMANS AND THE MIDDLE CLASS AND THE POOR DON'T.
I AM NOT KIDDING.
THEN WHAT HAPPENS IF THE SUPERHUMANS ARE REALLY
SUPERHUMAN.
WHO CARES ABOUT HOW FAST AND STRONG THEY ARE.
THEY HAVE MORE NBA
PLAYERS, WHO CARES?
WHAT IF THEY'RE REALLY SMART.
I KNOW I AM WAY OVER SIMPLIFYING FOR THE 18TH
TIME BUT YOU KNOW HOW WE VIEW ANTS.
WHO CARES.
DON'T DO THAT, BY THE WAY.
ANIMALS ARE INNOCENT.
WHAT THEY VIEW US LIKE COWS.
WHATEVER, MAN.
IT IS EXPENDABLE.
IF IT IS A REAL JUMP AND AN INCREASE IN
INTELLIGENCE OR SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS EXPOTENTIAL
INCREASED, OH BOY.
THAT IS GOING TO GET SUPER INTERESTING AND THERE MIGHT
BE SOME GOOD IN THERE.
THERE COULD BE SOME BAD, BUT IF YOU DIDN'T LIKE GENETICALLY
MODIFIED ORGANISMS, WAIT UNTIL YOU GET A LOAD OF GENETICALLY
MODIFIED HUMANS.

Designer Babies Are Coming Sooner Than You Think

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