Back in the 20th century, any futurist, asking him about the future, would start his prediction from the perspectives that physics opens up. I would talk about the colonization of distant planets, about black holes and the final solution of the energy issue. But today such forecasts are not quoted very high: enough, ate. The man again turned to himself. Most of all in the world he is interested in himself and his own prospects. And to find out “what the coming day has in store for us,” he goes to the fortune tellers of the 21st century - geneticists.
Fortunetellers of the XXI century
We must admit the obvious: every person is essentially an egoist. And his personal affairs worry him much more than the hadron collider and the ecological catastrophe of the African tribe Manya-na-Nile (unless, of course, he is a worthy representative of this people).
That is why the XXI century is the century of biology, or rather even biotechnology, armed to the teeth with methods of genetic engineering. The human genome was, albeit roughly, but completely deciphered in 2003. It remains for the details, details, the study of combinations of individual genes, which, in fact, make each person unique. And every year scientists delight the layman with the discovery of new genes that are responsible for his health, abilities and even moral principles. Everything can be calculated, even whom mosquitoes bite more often: genes also determine this. Therefore, the forecasts of today's futurists sound differently. For example, Ukrainian biophysicist Oleg Kryshtal is sure: “After some time, a new breed of fortune-tellers will appear. They will be armed with powerful computers. People will come to them with their genome, the genome of their children, or even the genome of their embryos,and they will guess them. You will be able to find out what your abilities you have not realized, what potencies your children have and what they should develop in the first place”.
GMO BABIES
Sounds fantastic, right? Let's leave aside the moral and ethical aspects of human introduction into the "divine providence". And so it is clear that this area of science causes the most fierce controversy. But progress cannot be stopped: in February this year, British scientists received the go-ahead to begin work on the genetic modification of human embryos. For them, gene editing is a kind of sketch of a future life. And they do not hear, or rather, do not perceive the talk that it is not far from changing the DNA of an embryo to designing "GMO babies". British specialists have completely different goals: to understand why miscarriages occur, where infertility comes from, and also to help those people who suffer from incurable genetic diseases from birth.
Promotional video:
Fixing a faulty gene, editing DNA is now possible. In any case, theoretically: scientists experiment with might and main with genes in the cut-and-paste format - they cut and mend the DNA helix left and right. It's like scribbling a patchwork quilt: this piece doesn't fit here, there is a hole in it in the middle, we will now cut it out and sew a whole one instead, and there will be beauty. Someday, indeed, there will be. Imagine that faulty cells can be identified at the embryonic level and repaired at the same time. Is that great? Yes and no. After all, these manipulations will surely open the door to the world of genetically “correct” and “wrong” people. In order not to get into the jungle, let's go over only those genes that will surely make all mankind happy, and therefore manipulation with them will cause the least criticism from opponents of interference in "divine craft".
GENE OF THE IDLE
In July 2016, Peking University biologists discovered the gene for loneliness. Its owners have a 20% lower chance of finding a mate than everyone else. And this proves once again: in order to achieve personal happiness, it is not at all necessary to be beautiful and rich. Neither attractiveness nor success at all guarantees that one day you will meet the one with whom you will live happily ever after and die in one day. The future of your partnerships is entirely dependent on DNA: whether it contains the "bachelor gene" - 5-HTA1 - or not. There are two types of this gene - G and C. So those who are "lucky" to be the owner of the "version" of G are more prone to loneliness than others. The fact is that 5-HTA1 lowers the level of the hormone serotonin, which is responsible for joy and good mood. And therefore, its owner does not feel comfortable in close relationships. He does not stay with anyone for a long time, preferring parting to an "unhappy" partnership, where everything is not so. It is clear that any carrier of the G variety of the "bachelor gene" often suffers from depression and nervous diseases. This pessimist, in principle, finds it difficult to live in any society - it is harder to get to know each other, harder to learn, harder to work. Even sexual relations bring him less pleasure than others. And, nevertheless, any break for this beech, even initiated with his own hand, is a real tragedy, which makes him even more closed. Previously, everything could be blamed on a bad character, which, as you know, cannot be treated. Remember the anecdote that if the third wife hits in the face, then it’s all the same in the face. But for the foreseeable future, it will be possible to simply edit the DNA and cut out the harmful gene that interferes with personal happiness.
THE LONELINESS GENE
The desire to have or not to have children is also hardwired into the DNA chain. This was proved by scientists from the Karolinska Institute (Sweden). They found in the bodies of free women - those who remained single after 35 years - the AVPR1A gene. Because of it, oxytocin is not produced in the body: a hormone responsible for trusting people around you. And therefore, any relationship brings only discomfort and stress to its owners. These women do not strive to love and be loved. They have never been married, and they did not really strive for it for the simple reason that sex does not bring them some kind of enchanting pleasure. As a consequence: these single ladies are not eager to become mothers, and if they do have children, they treat their children rather coolly.
“Well, this is their own business,” you say. That's how it is. But the whole point is that 1/5 of all women on Earth at the age of 35 are lonely! And 20% of them are carriers of the ill-fated gene. As you can imagine, the research of scientists has affected the civilized part of society, where there is already a birth rate crisis. So, in theory, this gene also needs to be adjusted: otherwise, we are threatened with degeneration.
GENE OF HAPPINESS
How was Tolstoy going there? Are all happy families equally happy? How right the classic was! Happiness is another category of human existence that does not depend on wealth, attractiveness, or even health. The ability to enjoy life in all its manifestations is not given to many. Such people are usually called optimists. As scientists from the London School of Health have found, in addition to a wide smile on their face, they all have something else in common: namely, the 5-HTTLPR gene, which is recognized as the "happiness gene". 5-HTTLPR is responsible for the distribution of serotonin in nerve cells. This hormone is responsible for a person's mood, it makes us cry or laugh. But those lucky ones, whose DNA contains a "happiness gene", have much more fun: why, because, as the researchers have established, they feel twice as happy as everyone else. And the most lively laughter is from those people whose parents also have a "happiness gene": they have inherited "enhanced" optimism.
What does this discovery give us in practice? You have probably already assumed that it, at least, will deprive all psychologists of work at once: it is enough to introduce a “happiness gene” into a person's DNA - and you can say goodbye to bad mood, anxiety, pessimism and depression. Alas, the reality is still very far from this beautiful scenario. Many factors, not just one gene, affect a person's satisfaction with their life. But 5-HTTLPR is officially recognized as the "supplier" of happiness: the first swallow, so to speak.
And if you recall the popular assertion that stupid people are much happier than smart people, then the discovery of the gene for stupidity can be called a second swallow. Scientists at Emory University in Texas have found that when the RGS14 gene is “turned off”, intellectual ability dramatically increases. The experiments, of course, were carried out on mice: there were no volunteers among people for such an experiment. But the uncomplaining laboratory mice made it possible to carry out the appropriate manipulations over themselves, as a result of which they sharply grew wiser. Now Texas scientists have thrown all their efforts into developing a drug that would act on a person and block his stupidity gene.
On the other hand, you can go the other way and just activate the intelligence gene. It was discovered by scientists from the University of California at San Francisco. The KL-VS gene is responsible for the production of a protein called clotho. And that, in turn, increases a person's IQ by 6 points at once! The more protein, the higher the intellect, and there it is already a stone's throw to genius.
By the way, good or bad, the researchers have not yet found the genius gene. But they found a gene that causes schizophrenia - the eternal companion of geniuses.
GENE OF IMMUNITY
Since its discovery - and until now - schizophrenia has been one of the most difficult diseases to study. Anyone who unravels the mystery of her origin was promised the Nobel Prize back in 1957. But so far, no one has been awarded the prize. Because the riddle hasn't been solved. Meanwhile, in the world there are 24 million patients with schizophrenia. And this number is only increasing. Why? Alas, there is no single answer to this question. Some hypotheses. And the most widespread of them is the one that assumes the source of the disease "breakdown" at the gene level. That's why genetics got down to business - and for a long time and almost in every civilized country. But their efforts for a long time remained in vain: the “same gene” refused to be found.
As it turned out in January 2016, they were looking in the wrong place. It is paradoxical, but true: people with very good immunity are at risk of becoming schizophrenics. It turned out that the gene for innate immunity causes the symptoms of this disease. His activity is not limited to protective functions alone. He also participates in the "weeding" of unnecessary connections between neurons. But when he is too active, he gets down to business too zealously and destroys very important connections in the brain. The child splashes out with the water. As a result, symptoms of schizophrenia begin to develop.
Of course, it is impossible to blame immunity alone: the spectrum of schizophrenic disorders is too wide, so a whole "gang" of genes is probably involved. But this discovery will allow, finally, to begin to treat the very cause of the disease, and not its symptoms.
GENETICS FROM GENE AND CHROMOSOM GONE FROM MIND
2016 turned out to be a very successful year for bioengineers - they managed to catch the gene of jealousy, the gene of obesity, the gene pushing for treason, the gene that condemns to criminal activity. They found a gene responsible for drunken driving hooliganism, and even a gene to blame for eternal wars over the temperature in the office …
It seems, design - I don't want to: there will be a lot of work in the DNA studio. In the future, yes. But by that time I would like to come closer to understanding God's providence. Now we are, rather, storekeepers, putting genes on the shelves of the warehouse. So Oleg Kryshtal says: “Having received all the genes, we will only find out what material the violin is made of. But at the same time we will be far from solving the construction of the violin, and from the composition of the orchestra, and from the composer's intention. Where do we know who conducts everyone? Knowing virtually nothing, we will be able to intervene in everything and "correct nature." One hope is that the set of rules in our “divine game” is also included in the Supreme Design."
Max Maslin