Genetically modified people can have IQs of 1000 or more. At least according to the scientific theory of Professor Stephen Hsu.
Hsu can be considered a deep erudite. His work is in quantum physics, dark energy, finance, information security, genomics and bioinformatics. He is officially the Vice President of Research at Michigan State University, where he heads the Department of Theoretical Physics.
Professor Hsu believes that by changing the human genome, one can dramatically increase his intellectual abilities. A detailed description of the theory is given in the ArXiv e-prints magazine. Its popular exposition is given by Nautilus.
How to endow a person with superintelligence
The possibility of superintelligence emerging is a direct result of the genetic basis of intelligence. Traits such as growth and cognition control thousands of genes, each with their own small impact, Hsu writes.
Building on previous studies of the genome, Hsu estimates that there are about 10,000 genetic variants associated with intelligence. If by customizing each of them we can get the desired version, then, according to him, we can create human beings with an IQ of 1000 and above.
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Hsu is a scientific advisor to BGI (formerly Beijing Genomics Institute) and one of the founders of its Cognitive Genomics Laboratory. According to rumors that emerged last year, BGI is sequencing the genomes of 2,000 of the world's smartest people in order to produce a superintelligent generation that can raise the nation's IQ.
Hsu and BGI are not the only ones predicting the emergence of superintelligence through genetic enhancements. In his recently published book Superintelligence, Oxford-based Institute for the Future of Humanity director Nick Bostrom agrees that genetics is the key to superintelligence. Genetic screening of embryos prior to implantation could help parents find and select embryos with alleles that determine high levels of intelligence. Bostrom hopes that further development of genetic engineering will make it possible to synthesize genomes into a specification, which will greatly simplify the task.
In the future, the technology will allow the embryo to be given the preferred combination of genes passed on from each parent and genes not shared by only a small number of people in the world, Bostrom said. This mix can have a profound positive effect on children's cognitive abilities.
Dangerous games with the genome
Hsu believes that in this way you can develop abilities higher than that of any of the 100 billion people who have ever lived on Earth:
Imagine that the abilities of the greatest minds of humanity in their maximum form will be present in one individual. This is almost perfect reproduction of images and speech, ultra-fast thinking and calculations, strong geometric visualization, even in higher dimensions; the ability to simultaneously and simultaneously solve many analytical and mental tasks. The list goes on.
The prospect that "supermen", whose greatness was so praised by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in his work "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," will live on the same planet with ordinary people, is frightening. The relevant moral issues deserve close attention, which will have to be addressed before such opportunities become a reality.
Some countries may legalize genetic modification in children earlier than others. Obviously, the first access to technology will be given to the elite, who will be able to endow themselves and their children with superintelligence. But let's hope that everyone who wants to can use the fruits of genetic engineering, otherwise we will face such inequality that has never been in the history of mankind.