Having tried hundreds of ways to create superweapons, the American military decided to approach the high-tech murder case from the other side - to "correct" the person himself.
Who among us would not like to become stronger, faster, harder, smarter? Of course, everyone wants to, and it is best to do it without exhausting training, which often shows that the initial data will not allow you to realize the dream of your own "superman". It would be nice to have a magic pill or injection that could correct our physiology, turn an ordinary citizen into a well-motivated intellectual athlete … Many think so, but only the Pentagon publicly decided to announce attempts to make these dreams come true.
What for
Above all, the US military wants its soldiers to become tougher and stronger, and to work better as a team. Everything is simple here: the stronger and more enduring a soldier, the more weapons and armor he carries and the longer he remains combat-ready. Today, American fighters are already staggering under 50 kg of equipment, and the military industry continues to supply them with "rattles" that must be carried on their own backs. Teamwork for soldiers is also extremely important - a group of diverse people with different physical parameters in battle does not live much longer than single fighters.
A person's physical data can be dramatically improved by "accelerating" mitochondria to the limit. However, the limiting modes of operation of these energy stations of the body lead to a sharp increase in temperature and can cause death.
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Now there is a careful selection to solve these problems, but, often, those who especially want to join the army in terms of physical and mental parameters are not suitable, and those who are ideally suited do not want to join the army. The Pentagon intends to simplify the task - with the help of genetic technology to turn people of "average quality" into excellent fighters with all "100%" in the profile. Well, to create within the framework of the project "little things" like a weapon that destroys DNA or turns enemy soldiers into feeble-minded sicklings.
As in the means of achieving the goal, the Pentagon does not limit itself and to influence the very nature of man, it offers scientists to use a wide range of chemical, neurological, genetic and behavioral methods of influence. The military wants the qualities that today take years of training to develop can be instilled in a very short time by injection or targeted electromagnetic action on the brain. Despite the fantastic nature of this idea, rapid advances in neuroscience, pharmacology and genetics may soon make it a reality. Perhaps in 10-20 years a new kind of people will appear on Earth, specially modified for war.
Until recently, the idea of directed mutation of soldiers did not generate much enthusiasm in the Pentagon. However, it seems that the point of view has changed over the past 10 years. It all started in 2002 when the defense science agency DARPA launched the Metabolic Dominance program. As part of this project, the first mutant warriors were supposed to appear, unlike ordinary people, less susceptible to stress, lack of sleep, pain, blood loss, fatigue, better memory of information and faster learning. It is important to understand that the military did not want anything supernatural, that is, beyond the capabilities of our species. It was primarily about the "frozen" peak of the physical and intellectual development of the form, when a person reaches the maximum of his capabilities and remains in this state for a long time.
Progress was slow and the program was scrapped in 2008. Who and what contracts the military issued remained a mystery, but something about Metabolic Dominance is still known. First of all, DARPA wanted to solve the problem of hunger by burning fat reserves in a short time. Basically, the "pumping" of the body with energy was planned to be achieved by the "acceleration" of mitochondria up to the physiological limit. For a period of up to 5 days, a soldier with the maximum mitochondrial power turned on could feel vigorous and strong. But scientists are faced with a number of difficult-to-solve potential problems, for example, overheating of the body with increased metabolism. Despite the official closure of the program, several technologies were developed within its framework, which were further developed. In particular, the so-called "compressed food" CM. This soldier's ration is only a third of the size of regular rations for the same nutritional value. There were other promising avenues, such as pills and patches, that rewire metabolism to burn fat. These supplies from a well-fed American soldier should just be enough for a week of "pill" starvation.
After the closure of Metabolic Dominance, a number of particularly valuable technologies were "stolen" by other military departments and special services. Already in 2009, the program was actually revived, slightly narrowing the list of its tasks.
The Pentagon's new program was aimed at studying the phenomenon of cohesion, which helps a group of soldiers to continue to fight despite hunger, thirst, fatigue, confusion and death of comrades. Thanks to this phenomenon, many victories have been won throughout the history of mankind, but it is still poorly understood. It is clear that the forced introduction of people into such a state is an undeniable advantage over the enemy on the battlefield.
One of the Pentagon's most renowned scientific experts, microbiology, immunology and security research specialist Andrew Herr is working on this project. This scientist has been involved in virtually all soldier modification projects. Interestingly, he speaks good Russian and lived for some time in Russia and traveled around Central Asia. Andrew Herr spent two years researching the phenomenon of heroic cohesion, interviewing veterans, active marines, submariners, pilots and UAV operators. As a result, it was found that a special "heroic" state is associated with a change in the balance of the normal hormonal background at the moment of stress. For some people, high levels of stress hormones do not cause panic and stupor, but rather serve as an incentive to continue the struggle.
This knowledge can be used for practical purposes, primarily for testing candidates for certain types of troops. Methods are also being developed to transform an ordinary recruit into a potentially die-hard hero. There are complexes of exercise and diet that can reduce negative reactions to stress. Also, more effective methods are being developed, in particular, the activation of increased production of stress-inhibiting neuropeptide Y. This substance is present in the brain, peripheral nervous system and is a powerful anti-stress agent in our body. Neuropeptide Y unblocks neural pathways and allows the amygdala (the emotional part of the brain) to use its main neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid. This is why neuropeptide Y is considered to be very promising for the treatment of disorders such as alcoholism and anorexia. Moreover, whether a person is an optimist or, conversely, a pessimist, depends on the genetically determined level of neuropeptide Y. In combat conditions, the introduction of neuropeptide Y should "knock" the thoughts of the hopelessness and intolerable horror of the situation out of the fighter's head. In addition, the gene therapy performed back in the "training" will make the recruit an incredible optimist who cannot be caught by bad news. Another pleasant side effect of the non-mediator Y administration is that alcohol cravings are reduced. In combat conditions, the introduction of neuropeptide Y should "knock" the thoughts of the hopelessness and intolerable horror of the situation out of the fighter's head. In addition, the gene therapy performed back in the "training" will make the recruit an incredible optimist who cannot be caught by bad news. Another pleasant side effect of the non-mediator Y administration is that alcohol cravings are reduced. In combat conditions, the introduction of neuropeptide Y should "knock" the thoughts of the hopelessness and intolerable horror of the situation out of the fighter's head. In addition, the gene therapy performed back in the "training" will make the recruit an incredible optimist who cannot be caught by bad news. Another pleasant side effect of the non-mediator Y administration is that alcohol cravings are reduced.
Modern gene therapy allows using a virus to induce muscular dystrophy. A survivor of such a viral infection, for example, modified flu, simply cannot hold a weapon in his hands and move without crutches. In the picture: normal biceps (left); biceps with muscular dystrophy (right)
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As always, the medal has a downside: large doses of the neurotransmitter Y cause negative physiological symptoms, in particular, high blood pressure, the secretion of water and electrolytes in the intestines is disrupted, the likelihood of developing renal and heart failure, heart attack increases. In the long run, it's even worse: among the huge list of complications associated with elevated levels of neurotransmitter Y are dementia, sexual dysfunction and obesity - and these are not the most difficult diagnoses. However, short-term, high-dose exposure, especially in a deadly environment, may be an acceptable option for the military. For combat use, it is not neurotransmitter injections that are optimal, but genetic modification, which enhances its production in excess of the usual rate. Thus,a soldier will always be able to enter the desired psychophysical state, regardless of the situation and the presence of a "dose of courage" in his pocket.
It can be stated that at the current level of knowledge, it turned out to be impossible to create "supermen". Pentagon specialists only managed to improve certain parameters of the body, and even then within the framework of the possible, that is, a well-trained athlete will show results no worse. The fact is that in the human body all processes are very closely interconnected, and it is difficult to take into account all the side effects of interference with metabolism. Nevertheless, technologies for a short-term increase in psychophysical abilities already exist and their use in conditions of mortal danger is quite justified.
On the other hand
In the field of improving the human body, military science has achieved much less success so far than in the field of destruction. This is not surprising, although this is not at all a matter of bloodlust - it is just that while genetic manipulations damage DNA more easily than insert the necessary genes.
In 2010 in Boston, at a scientific conference on gene therapy, the topic of treating muscular dystrophy was discussed. One speaker noted that his technology for infecting a DNA-altering virus makes it easy to cause severe muscle damage in experimental mice. This is a genetic weapon in itself, in fact, an artificial mutagenic factor, in this case making animals (or people) weak and helpless. With the help of modern gene therapy, you can also easily provoke cancer, blindness or schizophrenia. It is possible that some American government and private organizations collect DNA samples around the world precisely to assess the likelihood of such a scenario. So a new world war, as conceived by the American military futurists, may not start at all as it seems: a powerful mutagen,If it gets into water or any product, it will turn millions of people into feeble-minded cripples. Naturally, a hitherto unknown terrorist group or the ubiquitous al-Qaeda will take the blame. Well, the world, as always, will be saved by the brave American soldiers, this time suspiciously calm and not even sweating after a month of continuous "rescue operation".
True, some American experts understand that not only the United States can use modern DNA manipulation technologies. Mutant animals are now being made everywhere - in scientific laboratories in many countries, including Russia, China, India, Japan, etc. Initially, these were medical technologies, and they never made a special secret. So we may well be on the verge of a new era of the Cold War with the help of techniques that turn our own citizens into smart athletes, into enemy citizens - into dystrophic idiots.
Mikhail Levkevich