2020 Rationalist.org — Evolution Tree content
Entrepreneur Juan Enriquez speaks of a future where we will be able to survive in extremely harsh environments and even seize and control our memories through DNA manipulation.
Imagine a world where we can design the bodies we desire. In this world, we can also create and animate the animals and plants that will live alongside us. We can alter organisms and shape them as we wish.
And actually, we're not talking about the future. In fact, you don't even need imagination for that; we're living in that world right now.
Enriquez, founding director of the Life Sciences Project at Harvard Business School and managing director of Excel Venture Management, spoke at the World Management Summit. He delivered a powerful introduction to how gene editing makes humans masters of their own DNA, the source code of life.
Enriquez explained that this mastery allows us to take control of our own destiny, our evolution. And all of this is thanks to a genome editing technique known as CRISPR. “ Tools like CRISPR allow us to regulate life on a massive scale, ” he explained. “ We are recoding our lives according to our own desires. ” Enriquez went on to talk about how selection is not random and what that means in practical terms.
" While science used to mean discovery for us, now it means creation. "
We will add and erase memories, or alter them. We will store them and use them in any way we want. Enriquez says that by doing this, we will change the way our bodies function and transform into a new, easily moldable species of human being.
So, what happens when we literally start rewriting our memories?
When we think about ourselves, we usually recall memories that have been told to us or that have shaped us. What would happen if we had the ability to literally rewrite our memories, or erase all memories of a loved one who has passed away? Or how would we become truly alive if we could completely erase from our minds a terrible thing we did? Or when would we be able to write down wonderful memories that never actually happened?
And when all this happens, will we still be considered human? That's not clear yet. But these aren't questions we can leave to future generations; we need to start answering them now. Technology is already a part of our lives, and we can see that day on the horizon.
And this is just the beginning.
Enriquez says that by editing and manufacturing DNA, we can not only rewrite our own biology, but also save lives on a large scale. “ You could make the world’s flu vaccine in a week instead of a year, and that’s no longer just theoretical, it’s practical. ” He then asked, “ Why would anyone want to alter human DNA? ”
“ Because we want to explore. If we want to advance in science, we must first become able to manage our own evolution. ”
He argued that humankind evolved to live on Earth. Billions of years of evolution are ingrained in our DNA, and we cannot easily leave this planet. At least, we cannot do so without modifying our bodies to adapt to other planets, the deserts of Mars, or the icy lakes of Europa.
Excel Venture Management: A company that helps develop technologies for healthcare and beyond. World Government Summit
Translator: Ayşe Ege Palaz
References
1.Futurism, “Masters of Our DNA: Designer Bodies Are Not Science Fiction” < https://futurism.com/humans-evolve-100-years/ >
Images: h heyerlein < https://unsplash.com/photos/t7-hqrujXsg >
Originally published on Medium on March 06, 2025. English translation of “Kendi DNA’mızı Tasarlamak Mümkün!”.