To keep my mind off of the mass of physics and organic chemistry I have to do, more writing to keep my mind off things and delay the inevitable.

There was a very interesting discussion on NPR the other day about germ line gene therapy. I had heard of gene therapy, but germ line gene therapy was new to me. Something about modifying the damaged mitochondria in egg cells and having healthy monkeys be born. The ensuing discussion included talk about how it was immoral and whatnot.

I don’t really think there’s anything wrong with designer babies, as long as the designer element is restricted to physical ability. After all, if you created a child that looks good or more physically fit, no harm done. The kid would probably be happier overall, although this is hard to say. Who wouldn’t want to eliminate the risk of having a child with some physical deficiencies. Obviously I’m looking at this from a practical standpoint only.

While there’s nothing wrong creating modified people physically, there’s a large risk in improving mental ability through gene therapy. This has an inherent danger because this would essentially create two strata of people. These “superhumans” would have superior intellect, so who knows what could happen.

Any person created through germ line gene therapy would need to be tracked, regardless of whether the modifications are physical or mental.