Is it time for us to select and alter our genes? - Historum

**Jake10** · November 12th, 2012, 06:36 PM

According to this paper, we're slowly losing our intellectual and emotional abilities due to a lack of selecting when we breed. I've heard the argument before that many of the babies who survive today would have died in the past, which means they introduce weak genes to the population. Nevertheless, we're coming up with the technology to make up for this. Should we start trying to implement it?

Quote:

Humans Are Slowly but Surely Losing Intellectual and Emotional Abilities, Article Suggests

ScienceDaily (Nov. 12, 2012) — Human intelligence and behavior require optimal functioning of a large number of genes, which requires enormous evolutionary pressures to maintain. A provocative hypothesis published in a recent set of Science and Society pieces published in the Cell Press journal Trends in Genetics suggests that we are losing our intellectual and emotional capabilities because the intricate web of genes endowing us with our brain power is particularly susceptible to mutations and that these mutations are not being selected against in our modern society.

Humans are slowly but surely losing intellectual and emotional abilities, article suggests)

**Pacific_Victory** · November 12th, 2012, 07:15 PM

Voluntarily, of course

**tjadams** · November 12th, 2012, 07:48 PM

Very true. People, old, young or infants, born or developing a medical condition
in 1836, would have died. Today, with proper medical treatment, that
child's life is prolonged.

**unclefred** · November 12th, 2012, 07:52 PM

It's a surety in the future. It will have to be slowly introduced and the paranoid masses suitably massaged.

**Jake10** · November 12th, 2012, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unclefred

It's a surety in the future. It will have to be slowly introduced and the paranoid masses suitably massaged.

Judging by the response we've had to genetically modified food, I expect a lot of controversy to come. It may become a new type of segregating factor. I think we should do it, though.

**unclefred** · November 12th, 2012, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jake10

Judging by the response we've had to genetically modified food, I expect a lot of controversy to come. It may become a new type of segregating factor. I think we should do it, though.

The food is an excellent example of the challenges.

**okamido** · November 12th, 2012, 08:40 PM

When I brought this up, almost everyone and their brother on this board was against it and attacked my position. I didn't use the term, "Select and alter", however....I called it by its true name...eugenics.

I am wholeheartedly for it.

**unclefred** · November 12th, 2012, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by okamido

When I brought this up, almost everyone and their brother on this board was against it and attacked my position. I didn't use the term, "Select and alter", however....I called it by its true name...eugenics.

I am wholeheartedly for it.

That was your mistake, you used a PC hot button word. Teacher says bad! BAD word!

**Inc** · November 12th, 2012, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by okamido

When I brought this up, almost everyone and their brother on this board was against it and attacked my position. I didn't use the term, "Select and alter", however....I called it by its true name...eugenics.

I am wholeheartedly for it.

Fair play to you okamido for being up front. There are inherent dangers on this path though, one obvious one - who decides what's a "good genetic make-up"?

**Jake10** · November 12th, 2012, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inc

Fair play to you okamido for being up front. There are inherent dangers on this path though, one obvious one - who decides what's a "good genetic make-up"?

I figure that's going to come down to parents. I think the real risk lies in mistakes; altering a gene expecting A to happen and getting B instead.