Posted on 06/30/2025 9:10:49 AM PDT by Red Badger
Yeah forgive me if I feel a creeping sense of dread and foreboding about this one.
From a UK non-profit called "Wellcome":
Wellcome is providing £10 million funding to the new Synthetic Human Genome Project (SynHG) to develop the foundational tools, technology and methods to enable researchers to one day synthesise genomes.
Building a full synthetic human genome is expected to take decades. Over the next five years, the SynHG project will build the foundational tools to enable this work.
The "ability to synthesize large genomes, including genomes for human cells, may transform our understanding of genome biology and profoundly alter the horizons of biotechnology and medicine," one researcher claimed.
Pretty sure we've heard that sort of thing before.
Remember, for instance, that years ago IVF was touted as a sort of salvific last-ditch effort for women with chronic fertility issues who are desperate to conceive. And now it's become a luxury consumer tool that creates and destroys countless innocent babies every year so that aging Millennials can have the children they put off having for 25 years.
Australian woman gives birth to a stranger’s baby after IVF mixup https://t.co/xUXMawdcyE— Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) April 19, 2025
And don't forget that even existing DNA technology has been used to bizarre, likely morally reprehensible ends:
Georgia woman sues fertility clinic after she gives birth to another couple's babyhttps://t.co/Ak93LANm8x— Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) February 21, 2025
Seems like most of the time scientists try to play God, they discover they're really, really, really bad at it.
Oh, did I mention that Wellcome is super woke? They even have the updated Pride flag in their profile pic!!
Don't worry though, the scientists assure us they're taking the whole ethics thing totally seriously:
With SynHG, we are building the tools to make large genome synthesis a reality. At the same time, we are proactively engaging in the social, ethical, economic and policy questions that may arise as the tools and technologies advance.
During the course of the work the researchers will "engage with people from a range of sectors, communities and geographies, as well as regulatory bodies and policy makers."
Yeah my money's on this being used to bad ends. Call me crazy (or just a good student of history).
Agree!
It would just increase the costs of my glasses and sinus meds...............
The scientists scraped together enough of the insulin for Eli Lilly to conduct clinical trials, in which they found that not only was the synthetic insulin as effective as its chemically identical human twin, it eliminated the allergies that the animal-derived product caused in some diabetics.
https://www.gene.com/stories/cloning-insulin
Do you want the wrath of Khan because this is how you get the wrath of Khan.
On a serious note, using tech like this humans could edit out most forms of congenital anomalies, and cancers too. Edit in higher IQ for sure as that trait in innate. Want type O blood for all so it’s all universally accepted yup that too, which means every organ would swap as well if you code in the right RH factors. Want blue eyes or green yup easy peasy once you start CRISPR tech to the 23 and me groups. Want humans to be able to digest cellulose that can be coded in as well we still have a vestigial hindgut the appendix use DNA edits to turn it back on it would allow human’s to eat 3/4 of all plant materials on earth for food drastically improving food security and allowing tens of billions of humans to flourish. The possibilities are endless once you have full control of those genes.
I want a prehensile tail................
Oh GOd isn’t going to be a movie for some.
Thanks.
Who is that?
“British scientists are taking the “first steps” to make synthetic human DNA”
British scientists are taking the “first steps” to make synthetic human DNA that has all the ingredients necessary to make a human except a soul
There, fixed it
Sure, something else with poor vision and that I can accidentally poke along with a third faucet for my drippy allergy snot. 🙂
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