What if? What if genetically engineered humans live among us? The book by Eric Seedhouse from the series Science and Fiction explores the possible relations between human beings and their engineered counterparts by referencing popular science-fiction movies such as Blade Runner, Gattaca, The Island, The Fifth Element or others. Eric uses the ideas from films to visualize the scenarios of the future and the role of bioengineering breakthroughs.
The author begins with a vital aspect of human nature, the aspiration to modify oneself. In the near future, when genetic engineering becomes easily accessible, people will line up to become smarter, prettier and stronger. Access to this technology will grant to everybody to ensure health and longevity, also for our – now perfect – children. As evidence, Eric notes that already now parents do not back away to select gender, avoid certain birth defects and improve a child’s cognitive ability, thanks to prenatal screening technology, in vitro fertilization, pharmaceuticals targeting cognitive and emotional functioning. Moreover, the author states the results of an opinion poll among sportsmen, indicating that 52 per cent of respondents are willing to undergo a gene therapy, even if they would die of the consequences over the next five years!
Eric notes that genetic engineering is already able to improve the human creature. Especially, in sports, improvements in speed, endurance and strength are available owing to somatic line gene therapy. Furthermore, genetically engineered humans have already been born. In addition, this time the author does not retell scenario science-fiction films, and it is true. The book reports that medicine’s first attempt at human genetic engineering using germ line gene therapy took place in 2001. The outcome of the tests was 15 healthy babies born with genetic material from three people: father, mother and a second young woman, from which were taken a mitochondria containing DNA. Thus, the kids acquired the genetic materials of all three parties.
However, the author notes that scholars cannot avoid many side effects of such manipulations. The negative effects usually neutralize all dignity. The author repeatedly emphasizes that the human body is a very complex biochemical machine, in which the interaction takes place at all levels from the molecular level to the engagement of the organism with the environment. The book argues that the bioscience development at present stage is almost impossible to predict and is not able to take into account all negative consequences.
Clone is not an identical copy of his progenitor – he is younger cosmobion, which has the same genotype, but not a phenotype. Cloned humans are different persons, with their ancestors with their own behavior, character and memory. The author also explains further that it will be an ordinary human with an own soul, which will be born the usual way. Thus, the author notes it is unacceptable to grow clones as organ and body parts donors, how it is represented in science-fiction movie The Island. At the same time, the author argues that the use of cloning techniques to resurrect extinct animals can become grand application of the method. In 2003, scientists already were able to get two bantengs by cloning. Eric indicates future plans of scholars containing the resurrection of woolly mammoths, giant pandas and Sumatran tigers. But the most adventurous plan is a revival of the ancient forebears of modern humans, for instance The Neanderthals. Thus, the book supports that the plots of such movies as Encino Man or Jurassic Park already do not seem so unrealistic, although there are still hurdles.
The book examines in detail bioprinting, which now is considered as a very perspective method. Eric notes that many years of work must be done before the moment when at least the part of vital tissue and, what is more, functional organs will be received. The author clarifies that such stages of bioprinting development are difficult to achieve, given the complex structure of blood vessels and nerves in the human body. However, once it will be achieved, negative social side effects like black market of organs will disappear completely. Owing to bioprinting, the immune system will never again reject organs and body parts anymore. The book suggests that the next level of bioprinting development will be to receive a complete live organism as depicted in the movie The Fifth Element. The most important task of this will be to find a way of transferring knowledge, skills and memory in a new printed brain from the old one. In this case, the person will receive “eternal” life, changing one body for another.
The book further explains attempts of the use of germ line gene therapy to solve the problem of human organism fragility and limited habitat. Once these technologies are mature, it could be used to prepare human beings for life under water, on other planets and for space travelers or equip people with what is needed to dominate on the battlefield. The author notes that this topic is the most popular among science-fiction movies. The book summarizes that future aquanauts will be endowed by bimodal breathing – through the lungs and gills, webbed hands and feet, the ability to tolerate underwater temperature variations, skin and eye protection. Endurance in long space stay will be achieved, thanks to the ability of hibernation, innate protection from radiation exposure, bone demineralization and blindness. “Design” soldiers will be impervious to pain, can regrow their limbs and live without food and sleep. Eric emphasizes that nowadays science does not know how to achieve all this.
The author concludes that the emergence of these human beings will result in new social classes according to qualities and behavioral patterns. Eric does not doubt that all this genetic tampering will raise new moral issues linked with relations between emerged classes. Also, the book further asks who will ultimately have the right to improve ourselves and our babies? Who is going to regulate all interference in the genotype? Whether humans have the right to change the genotype, if it is considered as the common heritage of humanity? It will simply become impossible for national governments to control the use and misuse of these technologies.
Summing up, Beyond Human: Engineering Our Future Evolution is a very thought-provoking book. The informal and easy style of writing makes scientific facts easily understandable. The book gives a good overview of current achievements of bioengineering and explains the basics of modern genetic engineering methods or genome manipulation. Also, the most pressing ethical arguments for and against human genetic engineering are presented. Most importantly, the book provides food for thought for every person and provocative issues for further discussion.
The book makes good use of images, tables, schemes and useful footnotes that clarify important points for the reader. The author makes also good use of statistical data.
It is worth noting that Eric Seedhouse is not a bioengineer but a suborbital astronaut whose life-long ambition is to work in space. In the preface, he says that his book is not fiction, but at the same time not a contribution to fundamental science. It aims at educating the public and answers question that “other authors do not usually think about”. The book unfortunately is limited to organic biological materials. However, there are bionics and robotics, which are currently under development. This field of biotechnology also raises many questions.
In the last chapter of the book, the author ends with the words, again referencing to science-fiction films, “each movie gives the same message: the human body is a good beginning, but we can certainly improve it, upgrade it, and transcend it, and while the future is impossible to predict, that is not going to stop people trying.”
