Humanity has entered an era where it can choose its own evolution through biotechnology and genetic manipulation. This brings with it not only biological changes, but also social, ethical, and philosophical issues. We need to consider whether this is the direction we truly want to go, and reflect on the identity and nature of humanity.
“Seventy thousand years ago, Homo sapiens was an unimportant, self-interested animal in a corner of Africa. Over the next few tens of thousands of years, the species became the master of the entire planet and the destroyer of ecosystems.”
If you don’t know the word Homo sapiens, the above description should give you a good idea of what it is. It’s us, the human race. Over the past 70,000 years, we’ve made a lot of progress. Medical advances have allowed us to live to be centenarians, and astronomical advances have allowed us to be the first species to walk on the moon. The Industrial Revolution and the Digital Revolution have also drastically changed our lives, and advances in information and technology have led us to a way of life like never before. However, it won’t be long before this species meets its end at its own hands. There are three ways in which this could happen: biotechnology, cyborg engineering, and non-organic engineering, and we will discuss the biotechnology perspective.
The apocalypse in the context of Homo sapiens is not the extinction of the dinosaurs. It’s more about evolution than extinction. Evolution is a slow process that takes place over a long period of time. It is the law of natural selection and the current theory of evolution, in which mutations occur and the species with the best traits for the environment at that time are selected, and over generations, only the species with those traits remain. However, biotechnology has made it possible for humans to defy the laws of natural selection. Through genetic manipulation, we are creating new creatures that have never existed before, such as Alba the green fluorescent rabbit, super pigs with double the muscle mass, and tomatoes that don’t ripen. We are able to manipulate natural selection for our own convenience and benefit. These efforts are moving beyond animals and plants to humans.
We’re already at the point where we can manipulate human genes to prevent or treat certain diseases. CRISPR technology has made it possible to edit genes, which is expected to revolutionize the treatment of cancer, genetic diseases, and more. In addition, reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) have given great hope to infertile couples, offering the possibility of planning a child with desired traits.
In the future, most people will have all the traits they want, including the good looks of Dong-won Kang, the creativity of Bill Gates, and the strength of Pacquiao. A trait is a shape or property that an organism possesses. Traits are expressed by genes, and the structure of human genes has already been mapped out by the Human Genome Project. If you find the gene that determines appearance and transplant it with the gene of Dong-won Kang, the gene that determines creativity and transplant it with the gene of Bill Gates, and the gene that determines strength and transplant it with the gene of Pacquiao, the above will be achieved, and scientists expect that a new species born in this way will appear in the near future. They even think that genetic manipulation could fulfill the long-standing dream of immortality. Will these new species be the same species as us? Species is the most basic unit for categorizing organisms. Just because something looks similar doesn’t mean it’s the same species. There are hominids and neo-humans that look similar, but their traits are much better, and neo-humans don’t get old and die. It would be difficult to call them the same species.
There is a lot of ethical debate about this kind of advancement against nature. The stability of the technology has not yet been proven, and even if it were to be created, there would be an initial disparity between the rich and the poor, with some being able to afford it and others not. But all humans are afraid of death and dislike growing old. Yuval Harari, author of Sapiens, says that it’s impossible to stop the desire for eternal life. He also warns that these technological advances are more than just biological changes; they come with social, ethical, and philosophical issues.
Before such advances can be made, humanity will need to resolve the question of whether this is the direction of evolution we truly want to take. Once that question is resolved, genetically engineered species will disappear and new species with new traits will emerge, far superior to those that have existed before. We will be the first species to end under our own power. But we also need to reflect deeply on what we will lose in this process. Questions about human identity, ethical standards, and the nature of humanity will become even more important in the future.
