The idea and implementation of gene drives have been around for a while since the development of zinc finger nucleases ~20 years ago. The issue has been they were hard to do. Now with CRISPR's it has been remarkably easier. Interestingly in drosophila, there is precedence for engineering other forms of selfish genetic elements such as P elements (transposons). We will see where the technology goes, but we sure do live in interesting times when it comes to the engineering of biology.

> We will see where the technology goes, but we sure do live in interesting times when it comes to the engineering of biology.

Perhaps I'm just too optimistic for the times, but I believe immortality is within our grasp.

Could be done with head transplant: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530103.700-first-hum...

Imagine in a distant future, Mark Zuckerberg's 3000 year old head sits atop a healthy young body. Every 20 years he demands a new body donor from the populace as a tribute.

He'll choose from a catalogue known as "Headbook."

And so the social games begin.

The movie 'In Time' (2011) has a nice view on this subject. Only the rich will be able to live forever but some of them discover they get tired of living.

I'm not sure living forever in this world will be that much fun.

Extreme sports will be more fun though! (Living forever doesn't mean not dying, just raising the bar)

The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect [1] is a fascinating take on immortality (for everyone in this case) as a curse.

[1] http://localroger.com/prime-intellect/

Content warning: TMoPI is hideously graphic at times, and the ending contains an explicit description of father/daughter incest.

Watch the series "Dollhouse" for a similar topic. Bonus: It's by Joss Whedon, so you should watch it anyway! ;-)

I am not sure about immortality, but I think the final victory against hostis humani generis, the enemy of mankind, Plasmodium falciparum aka malaria, is within our grasp. This would be a trenemdnous boon to the humanity worthy of the Nobel Prize and more.

According to Neal Stephenson, the most badass adversary humankind has faces is influenza.

I tend to nod in agreement, smiling wryly.

Well not immortality but really really good cyclists for the Tour de France.

Don't you mean pessimistic?

Immortality from death due to biological breakdown.

Death due to honeybees mutated with Box Jellyfish venom.

"the venom causes cells to become porous enough to allow potassium leakage, causing hyperkalemia which can lead to cardiovascular collapse and death as quickly as within two to five minutes"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chironex_fleckeri

For each malady you bring up, the genome can be hardened against. Humanity has enough time to iterate ;)

According to the Moore's Law of Mad Science, every 18 months the required IQ to destroy the world drops by one point.

This research represents more than a decade of advancement in this direction.

This is a practical implementation of gene drive, which to me is as amazing as a practical implementation of warp drive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_drive

We should be careful, but this is an extremely exciting development. We really are living in the 21st century.

What this enables is a way to let evolutionarily unfavorable gene to win by cheating evolution. Sometimes being evolutionarily good clashes with benefits to humanity, but we had no recourse. Now we do.

Well, I guess we'll start seeing the importance of backups. Get a set made at birth, along with whatever fetal/cord-blood stem cell reserves the individual could use later...

To clarify with respect to the linked article and technique, this is about a genetically modified individual passing on the modification to their children. There's no 'chain reaction' through existing fully grown cells and they can't propagate a modification through your cells (yet, at least!).

That was not at all clear from the article. So the (fruit fly) intervention happens one cell at a time? And only if by luck it's a gamete that is affected?

True, but if you have archives going further back than the change, you can at least figure out what it displaced.

I'd expect every child having their genome sequenced at birth (if not earlier), within a decade.

Geez. I feel like I need to start writing some science fiction novels now before someone in People Magazine is writing them as fact.

Yep, seems like fiction is having a harder and harder time keeping ahead of fact.

Wow, incredible. How can we mere humans wield such awesome power without destroying ourselves? It is even possible to manage? A person will do anything for money. Perhaps this terrible trait could be deselected using this technology and we could finally focus on living together.

Without the traits you describe terrible humanity wouldn't be here

If George Church is saying its a bad idea, then people should listen.

On the other hand, that which frightens elders which may hold the most promise for the youth.

Your comment is a bit closer to home. I've spent the last decade aiming my life at exactly those things which frighten George.

are we wise enough as a species to understand how to wield a self-propagating genetic regex?

Paging Peter Watts to the red courtesy phone, Peter Watts to the red courtesy phone, please.

Frankly I don't understand why everybody is so hot about Peter Watts. He's kind of like Stanislaw Lem on antidepressants IMO.

Hmmm, antidepressants? Lem always seemed cheerier, sometimes even more optimistic, than the stuff I've read from Watts recently.

One reason lots of HN folks like Watts may be that he has posted so much of his work online, for free.