Do you have a golden doodle? Or a labradoodle, or a bernedoodle, or an aussiedoodle, or a yorkiepoo, or a schnoodle (I could go on but I won’t). It seems like every other dog I see these days is some form of poodle hybrid. They are apparently universally acclaimed as intelligent, gentle and, most importantly, non-shedding. Who can blame someone for wanting one?
Someday soon most of the dogs in the world may be some form of doodle. Not surprising, is it? It is a very human trait to want the best of everything. If nature stands in the way, then we’ve generally found a way around it!
Recently a new form of gene editing called base editing was announced by scientists at Columbia University. Base editing can apparently meticulously swap out individual letters in an embryo’s genome with less potential for errors than previous CRISPR technologies.
There is naturally a mixed reaction to this news. The prospect of eliminating inherited diseases in embryos has many scientists and physicians very excited. To overcome the scourge of diseases like sickle cell anemia or Huntington’s disease or Duchenne muscular dystrophy would be a miraculous achievement.
But, of course, the editing of embryonic genomes also brings to mind the Pandora’s box of designer babies. Does anyone doubt that Elon Musk, David Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg and all the other tech and finance bros would hesitate one nanosecond to use this technology to create the new Übermensch?
But it’s not just the gazillionaires who will play this game. Every parent wants the best for their children as they develop and grow. Why not start even before they are born? Who wants a short kid – no one - so let’s fix that! Who wants a boy who will go bald in his twenties? Edit that out! Athletic ability? Put lots of those genes in! Intelligence? The sky’s the limit!
So, what will the human doodle of the future look like? Tall, blond, blue-eyed, non-balding, super-intelligent, a super athlete, and disease-free no doubt. And perhaps there will be a bunch of variations based on race and ethnicity.
The designer baby world will make today’s inequalities look positively benign by comparison. The cost of designing will completely separate the haves from the have-nots. We may find ourselves in a brave new world of über and unter menschen – a Nazi fever dream without any necessary gassing or unpleasantness.
Yes, beware the coming of the human doodle. Artificial Intelligence will seem like a fun time compared to that nightmare.
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