[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":320},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-artificial-womb-and-the-future-of-birth":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":187,"relatedBooks":319},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":29,"categories":30,"tags":33,"project_category":52,"contact_email_category":53,"yst_prominent_words":54,"class_list":58,"better_featured_image":85,"acf":122,"yoast_meta":131,"_links":134},24170,"2019-06-22T11:00:11","2019-06-22T09:00:11",{"rendered":9},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?post_id=24170&_wpnonce=e8585f09e5&status=auto-draft&type=post","2023-03-02T09:16:11","2023-03-02T08:16:11","artificial-womb-and-the-future-of-birth","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fartificial-womb-and-the-future-of-birth",{"rendered":17},"Will We Be Born In 2050?",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2019. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd> \u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Being born and giving birth are full of pain, blood, and trauma. Many science fiction works, such as Brave New World, Matrix, The Island, or I am Mother imagine being brought to the world without actually being born from a mother’s womb. How far-fetched are these scenarios? Could the appearance of the artificial womb replace human mothers and natural birth in the future? How will we come into this world in 2050? Will we be born?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>The trauma of being born and giving birth\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>The\nexperience of being born and leaving the nurturing womb of our mother after\nmore or less nine months is painful, bloody, and traumatic. Abrupt separation\nfrom a protective environment into the hostile world. One hundred percent\nbiological, nothing pathetic. It’s a trauma for both mother and child from both\nthe physical and the psychological perspective\u003C\u002Fstrong>. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fexploringyourmind.com\u002Fotto-rank-trauma-of-birth\u002F\">Otto Rank, a well-known Austrian psychoanalyst\nbelieved\u003C\u002Fa> that being born\nis the first trauma that we go through as humans in this world – the very first\none that determines future anxieties and neuroses. No wonder that the word\n“anxiety” comes from the Latin root word “angere”, which means to choke or\nstrangle. And where do you have to go through an experience close to being\nchoked or strangled the first time in your life? When you struggle with being\nborn and go through the narrow birth canal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Nevertheless, giving birth isn’t without its own\ntraumas either. As they bring another human being into this planet, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.who.int\u002Fnews-room\u002Ffact-sheets\u002Fdetail\u002Fmaternal-mortality\">803 women die from\ncomplications related to pregnancy and childbirth every day\u003C\u002Fa>, according to the World Health Organization. When\nthey survive, the road of giving birth is marked by debilitating pain, Cesarian\nsection, complications, and a care setting, whose quality level could also be\nlife-altering. In addition, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.postpartum.net\u002Flearn-more\u002Fpostpartum-post-traumatic-stress-disorder\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Postpartum Support\nInternational\u003C\u002Fa>, an advocacy\nand support group, estimates that approximately \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.postpartum.net\u002Flearn-more\u002Fpostpartum-post-traumatic-stress-disorder\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">9 percent of new mothers\u003C\u002Fa> experience PTSD, a disorder that is often associated\nwith war veterans, but that can be triggered by trauma of any kind. Women who\nexperience a lack of safety and poor care, total loss of control through\nchildbirth can suffer from the condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Thus, while some midwives believe that hormones of love and transcendence are released in peak doses during labor, birth, and breastfeeding, \u003Cstrong>the overall experience of both the baby and the mother could be overshadowed by trauma. So why should we go through all the trouble of being born and giving birth? Could we just leave out this highly burdensome process and materialize in some other way in the universe?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FBirth-And-Trauma-512x288.jpg\" alt=\"artificial womb\" class=\"wp-image-24171\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FBirth-And-Trauma-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FBirth-And-Trauma-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FBirth-And-Trauma-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FBirth-And-Trauma.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.mindfulreturn.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>God\nand the Hatchery\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The dystopia or utopia of not being born but being\nbrought into the world in some mysterious, other way has been moving the\nfantasy of humankind for thousands of years. Many Gods and Goddesses in\nnumerous mythologies were born out of thin air. For example, according to the\nlegends, Pallas Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Crafts and War jumped from\nthe head of Zeus, fully-grown and arrayed in arms. According to the Christian\nbelief system, Adam, the first man was created by God from the earth and he\nbreathed life into his nostrils, while Eve was created from Adam’s side. No\nbirthing process there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Later on, with the advancement of technology, God’s creative hand started to get replaced by dystopic or utopic inventions in the human imagination. In revolutionary and emblematic sci-fi tales, movies, and novels, technological solutions could take out the necessity of being born the natural way.\u003C\u002Fstrong> In Aldous Huxley’s ingenious Brave New World, humans get into the world through a careful manufacturing process. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.enotes.com\u002Fhomework-help\u002Fwhat-purpose-hatchery-conditioning-center-666778\">Human reproduction occurs in the Hatchery\u003C\u002Fa> in test tubes and incubators. In addition, in the machines of the Conditioning Center, embryos are given certain hormones and chemicals that place them within a certain category of the society’s caste system. Everything is mechanized, organized, carefully sorted – just as the highly efficient production line, the symbol of the early 20th century.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"230\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FBrave-New-World-512x230.jpg\" alt=\"artificial womb\" class=\"wp-image-24172\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FBrave-New-World-512x230.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FBrave-New-World-768x345.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FBrave-New-World.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.geektyrant.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Repopulation Facilities, cloning islands, and fetus\nfields\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Later on, the creation of humans as machines or rather, as efficient numbers in a society for the utmost benefit of society itself was twisted in the iconic Matrix trilogy, where humans were already grown (not born) for the benefit of machines\u003C\u002Fstrong>. This happens in the so-called fetus fields, where human babies are synthetically grown and gathered and transferred by harvester machines to the power plant. Fetuses are maintained in their pods by spider-like machines, while harvesters maintain the fields by attacking intruders or disposing of dead fetuses if necessary. Another efficient production line – although this one is not imitating the factory, but rather modern agriculture. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Something similar happens in the science fiction\nmovie, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.imdb.com\u002Ftitle\u002Ftt0399201\u002F?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">The Island\u003C\u002Fa>. Cloned humans are living in a colony not being aware\nof their actual identity: they were brought to life already as fully grown\nhumans to provide auxiliary body parts or become surrogate mothers for the rich\nwho wanted to live as long as possible, wanted to avoid diseases or the\nhardships of pregnancy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>The latest sci-fi adaptation of the idea of not being born, but being thrown into the world through technology appears in the Netflix movie, I am Mother. After the extinction of humankind, a friendly robot goes into the UNU HWK Repopulation Facility and chooses a female embryo from the 63.000 unborn ones frozen in tiny containers\u003C\u002Fstrong>. It places the fetus into an artificial womb, and when the machine starts beeping, it cracks the womb open: a tiny girl is brought into the world. The entire process resembles the natural way: the time spent in the womb is the same, and the robot raises the child just as a mother would. It sings Baby mine, don’t you cry to the little child when she doesn’t want to stop crying, teaches her how to draw or how to dance ballet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FFetus-Fields-in-Matrix-512x288.jpg\" alt=\"artificial womb\" class=\"wp-image-24173\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FFetus-Fields-in-Matrix-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FFetus-Fields-in-Matrix-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FFetus-Fields-in-Matrix-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FFetus-Fields-in-Matrix-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FFetus-Fields-in-Matrix.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.pinterest.dk\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Being\nborn in an artificial womb into a robot family?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>How far are we from this scenario? Is it extremely mind-boggling to believe that in a couple of decades, artificial wombs might accommodate the next generation before being born into a robot family? Looking at the recent developments around the female reproductive organ, we are not as far as we would imagine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At the end of 2018, th\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fedition.cnn.com\u002F2018\u002F12\u002F04\u002Fhealth\u002Futerus-transplant-deceased-donor-study\u002Findex.html\">e\nfirst baby was born to a woman who received a uterus transplant from a deceased\ndonor\u003C\u002Fa>. At least a dozen children in Sweden, the United States, and Serbia\nhave been born to women with transplanted uteri donated by a living relative\u003C\u002Fstrong>,\nnoted the authors of a \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fdx.doi.org\u002F10.1016\u002FS0140-6736(18)31766-5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study\u003C\u002Fa>, which was published in the medical journal The\nLancet. Thus, in the future, it is more likely than ever to imagine as a\ncommonplace process that women whose uterus isn’t capable of nurturing a baby\nfor nine months could undergo uterus transplant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>As we understand a lot more about how the uterus operates and how another human being could accept it, we also get to know a lot more about how to create one artificially. On 25 April 2017, \u003Cem>Nature Communications\u003C\u002Fem> published a \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nature.com\u002Farticles\u002Fncomms15112\">study\u003C\u002Fa> led by researcher Emily Partridge that provided the most successful \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theatlantic.com\u002Fhealth\u002Farchive\u002F2017\u002F04\u002Fpreemies-floating-in-fluid-filled-bags\u002F524181\u002F\">demonstration yet of an “artificial womb\u003C\u002Fa>”\u003C\u002Fstrong>. Extremely premature lambs, a close animal model for human fetuses, were suspended in a liquid-filled, plastic-covered extra-uterine womb, allowing the lambs to further develop for four weeks. The researchers used eight lamb fetuses that were 105 to 115 days old – a level of development comparable to a 23-week-old human fetus. The small, pinkish living beings were floating, dreaming, eating and growing as if surrounded by “regular” amniotic liquid. According to preliminary estimations, animal studies will be completed within two years, and if approved, such artificial wombs might be tested on extremely premature human fetuses within 3-5 years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"256\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FArtificial-Womb-512x256.jpg\" alt=\"artificial womb\" class=\"wp-image-24174\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FArtificial-Womb-512x256.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FArtificial-Womb-768x383.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FArtificial-Womb.jpg 1300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.inverse.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Artificial\nwombs instead of surrogate mothers?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>That doesn’t mean that zygotes will be planted into\nartificial wombs any time soon, but rather that extremely premature babies will\nhave a chance to spend more time in a nurturing environment before being\nactually born. \u003Cstrong>However, the progressive\ntechnology will eventually mean an option of the artificial womb – but it will,\nof course, depend on humans how they’ll put it into use. Moreover, we have\nabsolutely no idea how an artificial womb would affect unborn babies physically\nand mentally.\u003C\u002Fstrong> How will they bond with their environment if they come from\nan artificial one? How would their physical and cognitive abilities develop?\nWhat would we gain if we left out the trauma of being born and substituted it\nfor the trauma of being produced in an artificial space?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>On the other hand, what if the idea of an artificial womb would mean a technological solution for very real and problematic social phenomena?\u003C\u002Fstrong> Many couples cannot have their own babies for various reasons ranging from infertility to being gay. In these cases, couples can choose from several options: in vitro fertilization, adoption, or surrogacy. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>There are \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.com\u002Fnews\u002Fhealth-47826356\">no precise figures on how many children are born through surrogates\u003C\u002Fa> but as far back as 2012, the industry around surrogacy was worth an estimated $6bn a year. Financially and socially vulnerable women can be targets for surrogacy recruitment, attracted by the sums of money on offer. A surrogate in Ukraine, for example, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.co.uk\u002Fnews\u002Fworld-europe-42845602\">can earn up to $20,000\u003C\u002Fa> – more than eight times the average yearly income. However, there have been reports of poor treatment of surrogate mothers, so much so that some countries already abandoned the “surrogacy business” altogether. \u003Cstrong>Wouldn’t artificial wombs mean a technological solution for such situations? Poor women in low-income countries would not have to undertake the long, life-altering process of pregnancy and giving birth for the happiness of another, most probably rich, couple\u003C\u002Fstrong> \u003Cstrong>but those would rather pay for the artificial womb and let the poor woman live her own life?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FArtificial-Wombs-Are-Coming-512x341.jpg\" alt=\"artificial womb\" class=\"wp-image-24175\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FArtificial-Wombs-Are-Coming-512x341.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FArtificial-Wombs-Are-Coming-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FArtificial-Wombs-Are-Coming.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.vox.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Artificial womb as the ultimate health sensor?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Another, rather biological issue with the mother’s womb is that while it ensures a nurturing environment for the baby, it also doesn’t let physicians get close to the fetus in any sense. The medical community has to do tricks to listen to the baby’s heart sounds, to make snapshots about how the fetus develops, and to follow the entire process of becoming a human being from a zygote. Now, imagine an artificial womb that is transparent and displays every useful vital sign and health information of the baby. \u003Cstrong>Wouldn’t it make sense to build it as an ecosystem based on the constant flow of data, with artificial intelligence algorithms anticipating every need of the baby? Doctors and nurses would know everything about the unborn child from its genetic background to its health risks before it is even born. Imagine how differently the development curve of babies could go down if the health risks that they were susceptible to were already taken out in the womb.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>So far, we haven’t spoken about the options of\nmodifying the baby, the possibilities for cloning, gene editing, or \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fdesigner-babies-a-dystopian-sidetrack-of-gene-editing\">designer babies\u003C\u002Fa>. The latter means the potential future choice of\nparents to determine their perfect baby with the traits that they want to see\nthe most: tall, clever, blue-eyed, etc. That would be dangerous meddling with\nhuman nature, but most probably wouldn’t alter the process of giving birth. The\nsame might be the case for cloning, too, where the entire birthing process goes\nthe natural way – as \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fwhere-is-the-boundary-to-augment-life\">the example\nof Dolly, the sheep showed earlier\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Nevertheless, there are some futurists who believe in scenarios where designer babies, cloning, and the end of birth as we know it will most probably happen at the same time. \u003Cstrong>For example, transhumanists do not only imagine designer babies, but \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fzoltan-istvan-and-the-jesus-singularity\">Zoltan Istvan says\u003C\u002Fa> that within 50 years, we basically enter the Star Wars universe where you can do genetic modification and become basically any type of entity. He believes that the question will be whether you even want to have a human child when you can have a child from some other planet whose brain is a thousand times smarter.\u003C\u002Fstrong> As a transhumanist, he says that based on the recent trajectory of technological development, and on the micro-process of how fast things are evolving, these questions will not be too crazy to consider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FArtificial-Wombs-Are-Coming-2-512x384.jpg\" alt=\"artificial womb\" class=\"wp-image-24176\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FArtificial-Wombs-Are-Coming-2-512x384.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FArtificial-Wombs-Are-Coming-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002FArtificial-Wombs-Are-Coming-2.jpg 1393w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \u002F>\u003Cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: www.vice.com\u003C\u002Ffigcaption>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>While we do not believe that humans should be allowed to genetically modify babies when there is no health risk involved, we believe that the process of birth should not be taken for granted, and technologies such as the development of the artificial womb should be followed closely\u003C\u002Fstrong> – as it might mean the solution for women who do not want to give birth in the future but still want to become mothers. Just as the smiley robot from I am Mother. \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>Being born and giving birth is full of pain, blood, and trauma. Many science fiction works, such as Brave New World, Matrix, The Island, or I am Mother imagine being brought to the world without actually being born in a mother’s womb. How far-fetched are these scenarios? Could the appearance of the artificial womb replace human mothers and natural birth in the future? How will we come into this world in 2050? Will we be born?\u003C\u002Fp>\n",6,24181,"closed",true,"","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[31,32],521,515,[34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51],289,887,313,888,381,926,382,1228,383,1370,387,1371,425,246,271,674,275,679,[],[],[55,56,57],1801,1883,3347,[59,14,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84],"post-24170","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-future-medicine","category-science-fiction","tag-innovation","tag-baby","tag-medicine","tag-birth","tag-sci-fi","tag-society","tag-science","tag-artificial","tag-science-fiction","tag-uterus","tag-scifi","tag-mother","tag-technology-2","tag-future","tag-health","tag-artificial-womb","tag-healthcare","tag-designer-baby",{"id":24,"alt_text":86,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":87,"media_details":88,"post":5,"source_url":121},"artificial womb","image",{"width":89,"height":90,"file":91,"sizes":92,"image_meta":119},1920,1080,"2019\u002F06\u002F093_will_we_born_in_2050.png",{"medium":93,"large":99,"thumbnail":104,"medium_large":108,"1536x1536":109,"2048x2048":114},{"file":94,"width":95,"height":96,"mime-type":97,"source_url":98},"093_will_we_born_in_2050-370x208.png","370","208","image\u002Fpng","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002F093_will_we_born_in_2050-370x208.png",{"file":100,"width":101,"height":102,"mime-type":97,"source_url":103},"093_will_we_born_in_2050-768x432.png","768","432","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002F093_will_we_born_in_2050-768x432.png",{"file":105,"width":106,"height":106,"mime-type":97,"source_url":107},"093_will_we_born_in_2050-150x150.png","150","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002F093_will_we_born_in_2050-150x150.png",{"file":100,"width":101,"height":102,"mime-type":97,"source_url":103},{"file":110,"width":111,"height":112,"mime-type":97,"source_url":113},"093_will_we_born_in_2050-1536x864.png","1536","864","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002F093_will_we_born_in_2050-1536x864.png",{"file":115,"width":116,"height":117,"mime-type":97,"source_url":118},"093_will_we_born_in_2050-2048x1152.png","2048","1152","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002F093_will_we_born_in_2050-2048x1152.png",{"aperture":120,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":120,"copyright":27,"focal_length":120,"iso":120,"shutter_speed":120,"title":27,"orientation":120},"0","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2019\u002F06\u002F093_will_we_born_in_2050-scaled.png",{"related_posts":123,"related_posts_footer":127,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20},[124,125,126],15551,22549,11980,[128,129,130],13990,15602,14216,{"yoast_wpseo_title":132,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":133,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"Will We Be Born In 2050? - The Medical Futurist","Could the appearance of the artificial womb replace human mothers and natural birth in the future? How will we come into the world in 2050? Will we be born?",{"self":135,"collection":141,"about":144,"author":147,"replies":150,"version-history":153,"predecessor-version":157,"wp:featuredmedia":161,"wp:attachment":164,"wp:term":167,"curies":183},[136],{"href":137,"targetHints":138},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F24170",{"allow":139},[140],"GET",[142],{"href":143},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts",[145],{"href":146},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftypes\u002Fpost",[148],{"embeddable":26,"href":149},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fusers\u002F6",[151],{"embeddable":26,"href":152},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=24170",[154],{"count":155,"href":156},7,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F24170\u002Frevisions",[158],{"id":159,"href":160},49735,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F24170\u002Frevisions\u002F49735",[162],{"embeddable":26,"href":163},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F24181",[165],{"href":166},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=24170",[168,171,174,177,180],{"taxonomy":169,"embeddable":26,"href":170},"category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=24170",{"taxonomy":172,"embeddable":26,"href":173},"post_tag","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=24170",{"taxonomy":175,"embeddable":26,"href":176},"project_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=24170",{"taxonomy":178,"embeddable":26,"href":179},"contact_email_category","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=24170",{"taxonomy":181,"embeddable":26,"href":182},"yst_prominent_words","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=24170",[184],{"name":185,"href":186,"templated":26},"wp","https:\u002F\u002Fapi.w.org\u002F{rel}",[188],{"id":130,"date":189,"date_gmt":190,"guid":191,"modified":193,"modified_gmt":194,"slug":195,"status":13,"type":14,"link":196,"title":197,"content":199,"excerpt":201,"author":23,"featured_media":203,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":20,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":204,"categories":205,"tags":208,"project_category":219,"contact_email_category":220,"yst_prominent_words":221,"class_list":224,"better_featured_image":238,"acf":274,"yoast_meta":275,"_links":278},"2016-10-20T15:34:32","2016-10-20T13:34:32",{"rendered":192},"http:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002F?p=14216","2021-12-06T01:09:03","2021-12-06T00:09:03","what-could-crisprcas9-do-tomorrow","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fwhat-could-crisprcas9-do-tomorrow",{"rendered":198},"What Could CRISPR Do Tomorrow?",{"rendered":200,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\"> \u003Ctbody> \u003Ctr> \u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\"> \u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2016. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp> \u003C\u002Ftd> \u003C\u002Ftr> \u003C\u002Ftbody> \u003C\u002Ftable> \u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>CRISPR is the newest, most efficient and most accurate method to edit a cell’s genome. We have to understand it and prepare for the medical revolution it brings upon us, so here I summarized everything to know about this genome editing method from DNA-scissors to currently unimaginable possibilities, such as having an army of gene-edited soldiers. Here, let me show you the myriad of wonderful opportunities as well as the frightening ethical challenges what the CRISPR\u002FCas9 gene editing method could bring into healthcare in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003C!--more-->\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>This is the third part of our article series about the amazing story of CRISPR. In \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fcrispr\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">our first article\u003C\u002Fa>, you could read about the history how CRISPR\u002FCAS9 was discovered and how the process of genome editing works. In the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fwhat-can-you-achieve-with-crispr-therapy\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">second piece\u003C\u002Fa> you could familiarize with the CRISPR therapies and solutions available today. Now, let me show you where CRISPR could get us in the future. It is truly mind-blowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>If such examples as the complete eradication of malaria, the possible end of cancer and the treatment of deadly genetic diseases are the most likely scenarios happening very soon, imagine the scope of results we might get to. Perfect humans? Eternal youth and beauty? Living for hundreds of years?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>All of it is possible if we open the door of genome editing. But we have the utmost responsibility not to turn it into Pandora’s Box and let various monsters created through the inobservance of bioethical questions into the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"435\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-gene-editing-method.jpg\" alt=\"CRISPR\u002FCAS9\" class=\"wp-image-14218\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-gene-editing-method.jpg 600w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-gene-editing-method-512x371.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-gene-editing-method-345x250.jpg 345w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>1) We start “small”: let’s treat HIV\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.popularmechanics.com\u002Fscience\u002Fa19067\u002F11-crazy-things-we-can-do-with-crispr-cas9\u002F\">HIV inserts its DNA into the genome of the host\u003C\u002Fa>, and while it can lay dormant for years and certain medical treatments can moderate its effects, there is no way to make the virus permanently inactive. In 2015, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.umassmed.edu\u002Fnews\u002Fnews-archives\u002F2015\u002F04\u002Fediting-hiv-out-of-our-genome-with-crispr\u002F%20\">scientists used CRISPR to cut HIV cells out of living cells\u003C\u002Fa> of patients in a laboratory – proving that it is possible. This year, they carried out a lab experiment with rats which had HIV in 99 per cent of their cells. By injecting CRISPR into the rats’ tails, they were able to remove 48 per cent of the virus from the DNA of their body cells. Although the experiments are still in their infancy, it seems that CRISPR could mean the ultimate solution to cure HIV and ultimately AIDS.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Editing HIV out of our genome with CRISPR\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002F4ym94wNlHAA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>2) Drugs of the New Age\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>CRISPR\u002FCAS9 could also mean a revolution for the pharmaceutical industry. New types of drugs may be developed for treating diseases which were previously thought deadly and incurable. Pharmaceutical giant \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FBayer\">Bayer AG\u003C\u002Fa> and start-up \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fcrisprtx.com\u002Fnews-events\u002Fnews-events-press-releases-2015-12-21.php\">CRISPR Therapeutics\u003C\u002Fa> recently announced a $300 million joint venture \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.technologyreview.com\u002Fnews\u002F545366\u002Fbig-pharma-doubles-down-on-crispr-for-new-drugs\u002F%20\">to develop CRISPR-based drugs\u003C\u002Fa> to treat heart disease, blood disorders, and blindness. Their cooperation could mean the dawn of a new drug development era focusing more on genetic methods. And who knows? Maybe in a couple of decades, it will be possible to treat cancer or AIDS through a pill or an injection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-14219\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-drug-development.jpg\" alt=\"CRISPR\u002FCAS9-Drug Development\" width=\"5102\" height=\"2462\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-drug-development.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-drug-development-768x371.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-drug-development-512x247.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-drug-development-458x221.jpg 458w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5102px) 100vw, 5102px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3) \u003Cstrong>The Arrival of Superplants\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>If you think about GMOs and the Flavr Savr Tomato, plants are somehow always in the first row when it comes to genetic modification. It is no different with CRISPR. Researchers are currently experimenting with ways to improve crop disease resistance and environmental stress tolerance using the gene-editing tool. A research team from \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fportal.nifa.usda.gov\u002Fweb\u002Fcrisprojectpages\u002F1005372-improvement-of-crop-disease-resistance-and-stress-tolerance-by-crisprcas-gene-editing.html\">Rutgers is working on a long-term project to genetically modify wine grapes and turfgrass\u003C\u002Fa> in such a way that the methods can be implemented in a variety of other crops. Imagine having jasmines blossoming the whole year in Scandinavian countries or harvest pumpkins in February. We have unlimited possibilities…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-superplants.jpg\" alt=\"CRISPR\u002FCAS9\" class=\"wp-image-14220\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-superplants.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-superplants-370x208.jpg 370w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-superplants-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-superplants-512x288.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-superplants-444x250.jpg 444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4) \u003Cstrong>Boosting Human Intelligence?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In the era of smart phones, smart homes, smart cars and artificial intelligence – which is feared by many since it might be able to take over the world (\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fartificial-intelligence-will-redesign-healthcare\u002F\">Stephen Hawking even said that the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. Elon Musk agreed\u003C\u002Fa>) –, it seems to be a smart idea to try to boost the intelligence of actual people as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fblogs.scientificamerican.com\u002Fguest-blog\u002Fcan-crispr-cas9-boost-intelligence\u002F\">A recent study identified\u003C\u002Fa> 74 genetic variants—spelling mistakes in single nucleotides in the six billion letter human genome—which can be used to predict nearly 20 percent of the variation in school years completed, a quantitative trait of fortitude which is correlated to general intelligence, and which you can learn about by sequencing your own genome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“In my opinion, CRISPR could in principle be used to boost the expected intelligence of an embryo by a considerable amount,” said James J. Lee, a researcher at University of Minnesota, one of the authors of that study. So, caution is necessary here. And not only because some will – rightfully! – think that intelligence is more than couple of genes in the right sequence. What about creative intelligence? What about the randomly wandering thoughts? What about the ability to produce memories? All these questions need to be studied, and it is still not sure whether they can be studied from the point of view of genetics – yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"580\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrisprcas9-boosting-intelligence.jpg\" alt=\"CRISPR\u002FCAS9\" class=\"wp-image-14221\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrisprcas9-boosting-intelligence.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrisprcas9-boosting-intelligence-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrisprcas9-boosting-intelligence-512x341.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrisprcas9-boosting-intelligence-375x250.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>5) Editing humans?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And here we are. We arrived at the most problematic issue of genetic editing. To the human being and to what a lot of people consider already as the territory of the Gods. The editing of the genome of humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>There are tremendous bioethical issues about human genetic editing starting from the pre-selection of embryos who could live and who will be condemned to death until the effective designing of babies. But I have to tell you that it is not a distant possibility in the future, it is already happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>During pregnancy, there are lots of tests pregnant women go through. Many of them examine whether the foetus has any deadly genetic disease. For example, if the little embryo is diagnosed with Down-syndrome, the mother could decide to terminate the pregnancy. And in most cases, they do so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Thus, whether you like it or not, whether you fee adverse and negative about it or not – it is already happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Moreover, researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London want to \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.com\u002Fnews\u002Fhealth-35301238%20\">genetically modify human embryos\u003C\u002Fa> to learn more about the earliest stages of human life and potentially reduce the number of miscarriages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"579\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-editing-humans.jpg\" alt=\"CRISPR\u002FCAS9 - Editing Humans\" class=\"wp-image-14222\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-editing-humans.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-editing-humans-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-editing-humans-512x341.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-editing-humans-375x250.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>6) Designing babies?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Imagine the following scenario: you and your wife decided to have a kid. After going to the bedroom and having done the usual procedure, you call a genetic designer and ask for a personal appointment. Then you sit down at the kitchen table and start to talk about how your kid should look like and what traits should he or she have. You decide you would like to have a nice and healthy boy with plenty of blond hair (no, not like Donald Trumps’). He should be very intelligent, he should have great eye-sight, and he should have a great immune system, be muscular, be tall and have a nice smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And imagine a darker scenario. What if with the advancement of biotechnology, in a fully controlled society, a leader decides about the biological “casts” of people – producing humans who are working as blue-collar laborers, producing humans who are white-collar laborers or producing killing-machines – genetically modified soldiers with the inability to empathy or free will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Are we far away from this? Should we be far away from this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Chinese researchers reported using CRISPR to \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.popsci.com\u002Fresearchers-edit-genes-human-embryos-first-time\">edit the genome of human embryos\u003C\u002Fa> in April 2015, however they \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.popsci.com\u002Fshould-bioethicists-get-out-way-crispr-research\">sparked a worldwide debate\u003C\u002Fa> over how this technology could (or should) be used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>The gene-editing of embryos carries huge risks as CRISPR can accidentally edit genes that have a DNA sequence similar to its target, and cause irreversible mutations in the embryos. It is a scary and very alarming outcome, and we should definitely do everything in our power to avoid such scenarios.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Should We Make Designer Babies?\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FlHesvjW1bKM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>7) Eternal Youth and Living Forever?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And what happens, if we are able to eradicate diseases and to design perfectly healthy humans? What if we also find the gene which is responsible for aging and we will be able to cut it out with the help of CRISPR? Are we going to live for two- or three hundred years and die looking like our 22-year-old selves?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>How could we deal with such a scenario? Can we even deal with the possibility that it is already imaginable with the recent scientific method? It would completely change our perception about our species, our relation to nature – even life and death itself. And what if something goes wrong? What are the consequences to such a scenario? If we cut malaria genes out of mosquitoes, what if we kill them by accident? What will bats eat then? And what if something bigger happens? What if we condemn humanity to death?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Can we even think about such issues buried in our little universes?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Where are our finest philosophers to offer some insight about it? Because we not only need science, but also philosophy, religion and ethics to keep up with the rapid developments and offer advice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"568\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-cas9-experimenting.jpg\" alt=\"CRISPR\u002FCAS9\" class=\"wp-image-14223\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-cas9-experimenting.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-cas9-experimenting-768x501.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-cas9-experimenting-512x334.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-cas9-experimenting-383x250.jpg 383w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>What Can We and What Should We Do?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh1>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>When the Chinese researchers reported using CRISPR to \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.popsci.com\u002Fresearchers-edit-genes-human-embryos-first-time\">edit the genome of human embryos\u003C\u002Fa> in April 2015, the world’s foremost geneticists, biotechnologists, and bioethicists decided to gather and discuss the issue with immense significance.  They gathered in Washington to discuss the future of gene editing, agreed that basic research should progress but there should be a moratorium on editing human embryos on pregnancies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>But CRISPR itself cannot be stopped from other types of research apparently. Couple of months after the Chinese experiments were reported, \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.theregister.co.uk\u002F2016\u002F02\u002F02\u002Fblighty_ticks_crispr_gene_altering_of_fertilised_human_embryos\u002F\">in February 2016, UK scientists have been allowed\u003C\u002Fa> by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to use the CRISPR on unused human embryos. \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.theregister.co.uk\u002F2016\u002F06\u002F23\u002Fus_committee_greenlights_crisprcas9_human_cancer_cell_trials\u002F\">In June, 2016 it was reported\u003C\u002Fa> that a United States advisory committee has green-lighted the use of CRISPR in human trials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Genome editing did not appear overnight. \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fbioethics.medicine.iu.edu\u002Fpeople\u002Fmeslin\u002F\">Eric Meslin\u003C\u002Fa>, the director of the Indiana University Center for Bioethics \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.popsci.com\u002Fshould-bioethicists-get-out-way-crispr-research\">reminded here\u003C\u002Fa> that we’ve been talking about manipulation of the genome for 40 years, since the 70s. There was steps like the sheep clone Dolly, patients dying from gene therapy treatments, the stem cell debate of the early 2000s—all of these echoes are present whenever the ethics of CRISPR come up, he added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fgenome-editing-moral-issues.jpg\" alt=\"CRISPR\u002FCAS9\" class=\"wp-image-14224\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fgenome-editing-moral-issues.jpg 800w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fgenome-editing-moral-issues-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fgenome-editing-moral-issues-512x384.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fgenome-editing-moral-issues-333x250.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.popsci.com\u002Fshould-bioethicists-get-out-way-crispr-research\">Bioethicists usually strike a balance between regulation and permission\u003C\u002Fa>—too much permission, and researchers can ignore societal constructs of morality; too much restriction means progress slows down, and scientists start to operate outside that agreement in shady, grey cellars financed by evil-minded billionaires. They believe that bioethicists need to be more–not less–involved in the conversation about CRISPR. However, the most important issue is that for technologies that have the capacity to disrupt the world of research and medicine as we know it, everyone–researchers, politicians, sociologists, theologians, average citizens all over the world–must be drawn in to the discussion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>David Lemberg, the founding editor of Bioethics Today and associate faculty professor in the Department of Community Health at National University says that the role for bioethicists—and of all stakeholders representing numerous interest groups—is to oversee research and to limit its conduct based on the precautionary principle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>“Just because we can do a thing does not mean we should do the thing”, he added. And I completely agree with his statement. Although we need to facilitate the advance of such research methods in curing diseases, but an army of bioethicists are needed to make sure we keep human values we are meant to keep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>And if you want to see what the topic is about in a nutshell, check out this awesome video, we were referring to through the whole time:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Genetic Engineering Will Change Everything Forever – CRISPR\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FjAhjPd4uNFY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen>\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003C\u002Fdiv>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n",{"rendered":202,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2016. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY […]\u003C\u002Fp>\n",14225,{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[206,207],500,488,[209,210,50,34,36,211,212,47,213,214,215,216,217,218],262,272,144,212,517,256,570,260,571,261,[],[],[222,57,223],2657,2143,[225,14,60,61,62,63,64,226,227,228,229,83,67,69,230,231,80,232,233,234,235,236,237],"post-14216","category-biotechnology","category-genomics","tag-genomics","tag-health-20","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-dna","tag-gc1","tag-genes","tag-crispr","tag-genetics","tag-genome-editing","tag-genome",{"id":203,"alt_text":239,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":87,"media_details":240,"post":130,"source_url":273},"CRISPR\u002FCAS9",{"width":241,"height":242,"file":243,"sizes":244,"image_meta":271},870,489,"2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-eternal-youth.jpg",{"medium":245,"large":251,"thumbnail":256,"medium_large":260,"large_old_512x288":261,"medium_old_444x250":266},{"file":246,"width":247,"height":248,"mime-type":249,"source_url":250},"crispr-eternal-youth-370x208.jpg",370,208,"image\u002Fjpeg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-eternal-youth-370x208.jpg",{"file":252,"width":253,"height":254,"mime-type":249,"source_url":255},"crispr-eternal-youth-768x432.jpg",768,432,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-eternal-youth-768x432.jpg",{"file":257,"width":258,"height":258,"mime-type":249,"source_url":259},"crispr-eternal-youth-150x150.jpg",150,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-eternal-youth-150x150.jpg",{"file":252,"width":253,"height":254,"mime-type":249,"source_url":255},{"file":262,"width":263,"height":264,"mime-type":249,"source_url":265},"crispr-eternal-youth-512x288.jpg",512,288,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-eternal-youth-512x288.jpg",{"file":267,"width":268,"height":269,"mime-type":249,"source_url":270},"crispr-eternal-youth-444x250.jpg",444,250,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-eternal-youth-444x250.jpg",{"aperture":120,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":120,"copyright":27,"focal_length":120,"iso":120,"shutter_speed":120,"title":27,"orientation":120,"keywords":272},[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2016\u002F10\u002Fcrispr-eternal-youth.jpg",{"related_posts":20,"related_posts_footer":20,"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20},{"yoast_wpseo_title":276,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":277,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":196},"What Could CRISPR Do Tomorrow? - The Medical Futurist","Let me show you the opportunities as well as frightening ethical challenges the CRISPR\u002FCas9 gene editing method could bring into healthcare in the future.",{"self":279,"collection":284,"about":286,"author":288,"replies":290,"version-history":293,"predecessor-version":296,"wp:featuredmedia":300,"wp:attachment":303,"wp:term":306,"curies":317},[280],{"href":281,"targetHints":282},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F14216",{"allow":283},[140],[285],{"href":143},[287],{"href":146},[289],{"embeddable":26,"href":149},[291],{"embeddable":26,"href":292},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcomments?post=14216",[294],{"count":155,"href":295},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F14216\u002Frevisions",[297],{"id":298,"href":299},37309,"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fposts\u002F14216\u002Frevisions\u002F37309",[301],{"embeddable":26,"href":302},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia\u002F14225",[304],{"href":305},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fmedia?parent=14216",[307,309,311,313,315],{"taxonomy":169,"embeddable":26,"href":308},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcategories?post=14216",{"taxonomy":172,"embeddable":26,"href":310},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Ftags?post=14216",{"taxonomy":175,"embeddable":26,"href":312},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fproject_category?post=14216",{"taxonomy":178,"embeddable":26,"href":314},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fcontact_email_category?post=14216",{"taxonomy":181,"embeddable":26,"href":316},"https:\u002F\u002Fapi.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-json\u002Fwp\u002Fv2\u002Fyst_prominent_words?post=14216",[318],{"name":185,"href":186,"templated":26},[],1789238002399]