Gen modifications

Genetic Modifications

It is an interesting fact that most proposals of improving the human body in transhumanistic discussions are mainly based upon bionic and chemical enhancements, while overlooking the potential of genetic engineering. In part this may be due to the fact that most methods of changing the genome is most efficient only on very small groups of cells or in the embryo. This means that these methods will mainly work on our children, not on ourselves, something which has made many transhumanists turn to other methods. However, genetic engineering has obviously great potential to transform living beings, it is already an viable technology (unlike bionics) and gene therapy is advancing fast. Perhaps most important, and controversial, is the fact that this method will not only change a single individual, but also affect all of his/her/its offspring. This will give us the ability to once for all eliminate certain genes or add new ones.
In the following I will mainly deal with modifications which are possible according to what we know, and reasonable extrapolations of current technology. This means that most of these enhancements will work only on the molecular level and not in the lesser understood areas of morphogenesis or other high-level functions.


               Types of gen modifications 


Simple Modifications
These modifications are mainly concerned with removing undesirable parts of the genome and changes between different naturally occurring alleles.

Removal of genetic defects

Removal of genetic diseases

These two categories overlap to a great extent. They include mutations of important genes, omissions or accidental overlaps in the genome. Many diseases seem to have an genetic factor, for example Alzenheimer's disease, glaucoma, certain forms of obesity, retinal detachment, diabetes II and cancer, and there are many more geners that weaken the body or make some diseases likelier.

Removal of undesirable traits

Of course, what is undesirable is often a highly individual matter, and many negative traits are linked to positive traits in a complex manner. For example, the "novelty gene", which induces "novelty-seeking behavior" (i.e. adventureness) will under the right circumstances make a person a dynamic neophile, but could also increase the risk for to drug addiction (Reward Deficiency Syndrom); Dyslexia might be linked with visual thinking