Support NeoGAF

[Chairman Tickles]

The Chinese authorities are holding scientist He Jiankui wholly responsible for creating the world’s first gene-edited babies.

He had announced their birth in November, after which the authorities announced an investigation into the matter.

A team of investigators told the official Xinhua news agency on Monday that a preliminary investigation had concluded that He had “organised a project team that included foreign staff, which intentionally avoided surveillance and used technology of uncertain safety and effectiveness to perform human embryo gene-editing activity with the purpose of reproduction, which is officially banned in the country”.

Between March 2017 and November 2018, He forged ethical review papers and recruited eight couples to participate in his experiment, resulting in two pregnancies.

One of the mothers gave birth to twins nicknamed “Lulu” and “Nana”, the investigators said. Another woman is still carrying a gene-edited fetus.

They also said that He, his staff and organisations related to his project would be punished according to laws and regulations.

The Guangdong government will keep the twins under medical observation.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/sci...ene-edited-babies-blames-scientist-he-jiankui



Brave new world in the works. This technology is too tempting to keep in the box. Genie out. Watch governments publicly condemn it, while they secretly take it to extremes.

This is the biggest and most important news of the 21st century thus far, akin to the 20th century's Atomic Bomb. Yet while the bomb gives us the capacity to destroy ourselves overtly, genetic editing gives us the means to destroy ourselves covertly. In time implications of this will become more evident. We will be replaced by our impending creations.

 

[Joyful]

Gattaca here we come

 

[Lanrutcon]

Cat girls here we come.

 

[captainraincoat]

15 inch penis here we go

 

[Starlight Lotice]

Size Z Boobs here we cum!

 

[E-Cat]

The cat is out of the bag...

 

[mortal]

 

[Cunth]

No more manlets here we come

 

[HarryKS]

They might be more resistant, but they're not organic.

 

[Tesseract]

awesome, congrats to the doctors involved!

please push this as far as you can as soon as possible.

 

[llien]

Gattaca here we come

Awesome movie.

awesome, congrats to the doctors involved!

Not sure if sarcastic, as: "He, his staff and organisations related to his project would be punished according to laws and regulations. "

 

[WinterIsComing]

awesome, congrats to the doctors involved!

Congrats on the death sentence?

 

[AngularSaxophone]

Every day we get a new piece of “pro China” propaganda.

 

[WinterIsComing]

Every day we get a new piece of “pro China” propaganda.

True, but they're almost 1/6th of the planet population.

 

[infinitys_7th]

Cat girls here we come.

Let's not cut corners. Full furry here we come.

 

[AngularSaxophone]

True, but they're almost 1/6th of the planet population.

I’ve never seen a more appropriate username.

 

[Thurible]

Sounds like a literal mad scientist.

I wonder if this story is just propaganda created by the Chinese government to show their amazing "progress"? Perhaps they really did gene edit babies but are using this man as a sort of scapegoat to test the waters and keep face in the international community.

 

[AngularSaxophone]

Sounds like a literal mad scientist.

I wonder if this story is just propaganda created by the Chinese government to show their amazing "progress"? Perhaps they really did gene edit babies but are using this man as a sort of scapegoat to test the waters and keep face in the international community.

The world is going full tilt. Better keep your lamp well oiled.

 

[hariseldon]

15 inch penis here we go

Why would I want it reduced?

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

Of course I’m way too late for Gattaca one-liner.

One of my favorite movies

 

[Ichabod]

Les Enfants Terribles here we come.

 

[julio_grr]

“pro China”

Please explain to me how a nasty DNA experiment on babies is any kind of "Pro" propaganda?

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Calling Omega Supreme Holopsicon as we have inched nearer to the post-human future they have warned about.

Not a huge surprise. They slice open live political prisoners to sell their organs to the highest bidder. This is not a country that anyone should be emulating.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

"to be punished..." by being forced to secretly work for the government creating supersoldiers in prison

 

[AngularSaxophone]

Please explain to me how a nasty DNA experiment on babies is any kind of "Pro" propaganda?

Look at the replies to this thread.

 

[AV]

Look at the replies to this thread.

How does the response to something define the author's intent?

 

[God Enel]

 

[hariseldon]

Being serious for a moment, if this is actually a thing, that's game over for humanity. Inequality based on class and income is bad now, but imagine a world where Zuckerberg can spend a billion dollars getting his kids the best genes to make them super-strong and super-intelligent, and ask yourself whether the people running the show will deem the rest of us plebs fit to have the premium gear. Expense will likely drive a 2-tier humanity which really won't end well. Dark fucking times.

 

[God Enel]

Being serious for a moment, if this is actually a thing, that's game over for humanity. Inequality based on class and income is bad now, but imagine a world where Zuckerberg can spend a billion dollars getting his kids the best genes to make them super-strong and super-intelligent, and ask yourself whether the people running the show will deem the rest of us plebs fit to have the premium gear. Expense will likely drive a 2-tier humanity which really won't end well. Dark fucking times.

There will for sure be a black market for it. Once it starts it can’t be reversed. They won’t kill the kid if it’s genetically enhanced?!

 

[Pumpkin Seeds]

Uhhhh

how are they going to test that they are actually HIV resistant?

 

[hariseldon]

Uhhhh

how are they going to test that they are actually HIV resistant?

There's a gene known to confer resistance from other research, so knowing that the child carries the gene ought to be enough.

 

[Deleted member 77995]

I have no faith in any government to wield such power properly not to mention privatization would lead to massive inequalities.

Keep this Pandora's box shut.

Edit: Grammar

 

[AngularSaxophone]

There will for sure be a black market for it. Once it starts it can’t be reversed. They won’t kill the kid if it’s genetically enhanced?!

Shouldn’t the larger worry be what happens as these kids grow into adults and start having kids that are mixing with the population? Think we’ll need vaccines for this?

 

[SKM1]

I was thinking about something like this some time ago, but more along the lines of immortality. It seems to me that if someone is known to have been genetically or otherwise modified to live longer, he/she will be a target for murder.

Thinks are going to get weird.

 

[SirKicksalot]

Gattaca is the story of an asshole ruining an important mission because of muh feelings.

 

[iconmaster]

Between March 2017 and November 2018, He forged ethical review papers

If this is true (and you have to take the Chinese government's accusations against its citizens with a grain of salt), he definitely deserves consequences.

 

[AngularSaxophone]

I was thinking about something like this some time ago, but more along the lines of immortality. It seems to me that if someone is known to have been genetically or otherwise modified to live longer, he/she will be a target for murder.

Thinks are going to get weird.

Their level of morality is exactly why China is being given the reins

 

[cryptoadam]

The human gene editing arms race has begun.

In the end if this tech works no country is going to want to let another country have exclusivity to this technology, nor will they want them to have the best.

The US is not going to want China to have super babies and thus super adults in the future, they are going to have to make their own super babies. And the Russia and the EU will get into it. And we will then officially be in an arms race to produce the most gene modified humans.

But if we can get through all the doom and gloom maybe this will actually be better for society. It is possible to use this for the greater good. Highly unlikely, but possible. So maybe we can take a positive outlook.

Oh and UN to promote China to head of anti gene editing commitee along with anti internement camp for muslims comittee too.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

The human gene editing arms race has begun.

In the end if this tech works no country is going to want to let another country have exclusivity to this technology, nor will they want them to have the best.

The US is not going to want China to have super babies and thus super adults in the future, they are going to have to make their own super babies. And the Russia and the EU will get into it. And we will then officially be in an arms race to produce the most gene modified humans.

But if we can get through all the doom and gloom maybe this will actually be better for society. It is possible to use this for the greater good. Highly unlikely, but possible. So maybe we can take a positive outlook.

Oh and UN to promote China to head of anti gene editing commitee along with anti internement camp for muslims comittee too.

Well, the first half of your post already specifies that it'll be used for the "Greater Good". This whole thing will be sold "for the Greater Good" to justify paving over the individual rights of the children affected by the procedure.

The true question is whether or not this will be used for the benefit of individuals for their own edification and success. It's easy to say "of course it'll be for their good. Look at all the benefits..." but who is to say that the person won't have a completely controlled future because their enhanced talents "belong" to the company that spliced them?

While this sounds sci-fi and inhumane and improbable, we already have megacorps that've copyrighted DNA sequences in plants.

 

[LaughingStock]

For better or worse that's the next step in human evolution.

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

Being serious for a moment, if this is actually a thing, that's game over for humanity. Inequality based on class and income is bad now, but imagine a world where Zuckerberg can spend a billion dollars getting his kids the best genes to make them super-strong and super-intelligent, and ask yourself whether the people running the show will deem the rest of us plebs fit to have the premium gear. Expense will likely drive a 2-tier humanity which really won't end well. Dark fucking times.

Royalty, and its inbreeding tendencies, could arise again with quadrillionaires. Only this time genetic engineering would mean even those who are born of incest would be genetically perfect and superior to those of normal births from normal folk.

 

[AngularSaxophone]

For better or worse that's the next step in human evolution.

A step off of a cliff.

 

[Bkdk]

Eventually this will be the future, with jobs turning more and more focus on technology to allowing humans to survive at space and to adapt to more climate, I would say this is something to start ASAP to ensure humanity’s better future. Right now it’s still on very early stage and honestly people will barely notice any difference for gene edited babies. I’m more worried that such golden chance is kept being delayed.

 

[iconmaster]

Royalty, and its inbreeding tendencies, could arise again with quadrillionaires.

Yes, there's some potential here for even greater class inequality as those who can afford it start upgrading their genes over the generations.

I'm not terribly worried about it since I believe more in the influence of environment, but the risk is there.

 

[cryptoadam]

Well, the first half of your post already specifies that it'll be used for the "Greater Good". This whole thing will be sold "for the Greater Good" to justify paving over the individual rights of the children affected by the procedure.

The true question is whether or not this will be used for the benefit of individuals for their own edification and success. It's easy to say "of course it'll be for their good. Look at all the benefits..." but who is to say that the person won't have a completely controlled future because their enhanced talents "belong" to the company that spliced them?

While this sounds sci-fi and inhumane and improbable, we already have megacorps that've copyrighted DNA sequences in plants.

Its very scary and I don't trust the elites to use it for anything then selfishness. But if there is a chance that we can move past the dystopian huxley brave new world future and come out of it for the better where this type of thing is used to make all humans healthier then it will be for the good and I can sometimes chose to not be so pessimistic.

I look at it in how we have gone on to cure many diseases that in old days made our lives spans very short or lead to low infant mortality rates. In the end eventually all these live saving medical technologies did reach the poor and humans are living longer and more healtheir lives. So I can hold out some hope that this will just be another medical breakthrough that will allow us to save more lives.

But I do see before that though countries getting into genetic arm races with each other.

 

[cryptoadam]

So will this be GENEtrification in the future LOL.

 

[Wings 嫩翼翻せ]

Is anyone else feeling that feeling of, "man, I already respect the next generation, they're going to have so much b.s. on their plate..."

 

[Omega Supreme Holopsicon]

I'm not terribly worried about it since I believe more in the influence of environment, but the risk is there.

Genetic engineering means, their heart stops for whatever reason, they do not die. Their brain practically halts metabolism and they can survive their heart being stopped for hours, days, weeks or years.

It means IQ 200, it means they do not age, it means a limb gets blown off it regenerates. IT means half their brain is blown off, they've got backups and it is reconstructed they do not die.

It means they don't get cancer or any disease.

It means they are faster, stronger, they are able able to swim for over an hour while holding their breath, if not able to breathe underwater.

You've heard of nanostructured substances 100x as strong as steel? Nanostructured artificial muscles 10x faster 10x stronger?

 

[Ancient Dragon]

It’s something that needs to be done eventually.

 

[iconmaster]

Genetic engineering means, their heart stops for whatever reason, they do not die. Their brain practically halts metabolism and they can survive their heart being stopped for hours, days, weeks or years.

It means IQ 200, it means they do not age, it means a limb gets blown off it regenerates. IT means half their brain is blown off, they've got backups and it is reconstructed they do not die.

It means they don't get cancer or any disease.

It means they are faster, stronger, they are able able to swim for over an hour while holding their breath, if not able to breathe underwater.

You've heard of nanostructured substances 100x as strong as steel? Nanostructured artificial muscles 10x faster 10x stronger?

I don't believe gene editing can accomplish most of that. But I guess we'll find out.