5/24/2023 0 Comments Hacking darwin jamie metzlMarriages between people who have tested positive for the disease were discouraged, and when they do occur, the couples tended to adopt rather than risk having a child born with the disease. Remarkably though, since the 1980s, the prevalence of the disease among Ashkenazi Jews has been very low, due to extensive genetic testing and family planning. About one in twenty seven Ashkenazi Jews carry the Tay-Sachs genes. Sadly, most die in agonizing pain by the age of five. By age 2, children with Tay-Sachs start to experience seizures and decline in mental functioning. Tay-Sachs is a genetic disorder which has devastating effects on the nervous system. A striking example Metzl discusses is the rapid decrease in Tay-Sachs disease in the Ashkenazi jewish community. But “hacking Darwin” had already been occurring earlier due to genetic testing. This set the stage for preimplantation genetic testing, which became popular in the 1990s and widely used today. The first “test-tube baby” was born in 1978. The fact is, some people are already “hacking Darwin”. This book is an exploration of how we might genetically engineer our children, why we might want to do so, and what the consequences might be. As a happy coincidence, David Wood of the London Futurists recently had Metzl speak to his group, and you can watch a recording of the event here. Our inaugural book review of 2020 covers Hacking Darwin by Jamie Metzl.
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