The genomics revolution for good and ill

By By K.N.C.

SEX IS how humans propagate. But developments in genetic engineering might change this one day. “We are, in the future, going to have sex for most of the wonderful reasons that we have sex now: for fun, for pair-bonding, to connect with other people, to give meaning to our lives. But increasingly we are going to do it less and less for procreation,” says Jamie Metzl, the author of a new book on genetics, “Hacking Darwin.”

Mr Metzl was speaking on The Economist’s Babbage podcast on technology and science. Today, during in vitro fertilisation, it is possible to screen embryos for genetic disorders. Tomorrow it may be feasible to look for—or even add—new traits. (An excerpt from Mr Metzl’s book is here.) The podcast raised questions of technology, ethics and society.

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Genomic technologies are going from research lab to commercial service quickly, notably in America, which has permissive regulations. Steven Hsu, the cofounder of Genomic Prediction, discusses how his company already screens for Down’s Syndrome and is planning to test for other disorders.

Yet this may just be the start. As more traits are detectable through genetic testing, parents may be able to choose among traits in their natural embryos. But some would go further, and tinker with DNA to produce certain traits.

Gulzaar Barn, a philosopher at King’s College, London, is uneasy with this. On the podcast, she argued that society should be cautious before accepting genetic enhancement as a good thing, since it undermines the idea that we are all equal despite our genetic or individual differences (be it looks or intelligence, and so on).

Less controversially, basic genomic technologies are used to cure disease. Eric Topol is a doctor and author of several books on technology and health care (including “Deep Medicine,” recently reviewed in The Economist). He looks forward to using genomics to tailor therapies around individual needs. “Instead of this kind of dumbed-down approach, where we treat people without knowing much more about them, we will have a far greater handle at many levels,” he tells us.

After talking to scientists, businesspeople, philosophers and doctors, the Babbage programme turned to the world of the arts and culture for the final word. We spoke to Ella Road, the 27-year-old playwright of “The Phlebotomist” (ie, someone who takes blood for medical testing). It recently concluded a run in London.

In the play, people are rated for their genetic makeup. She argues on the podcast that her futuristic play isn’t far from the world of today, where people are rated on social media all the time and society accepts wide inequalities. You can read a scene from the play here.

This episode of Babbage was produced as part of The Economist’s Open Future initiative, which makes the case for freedom, rights, technology and diversity in the 21st century. You can read more on the topics at Economist.com/openfuture.

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