Change a gene, change the world

A smiley face genetically engineered into a plant by a kit from The ODIN

We are trying to meet the demands of the biological world we live in with everything but biology. I truly believe that as genetic engineering becomes more accessible, it has the ability to unite us to solve many of the problems we deal with today.

I write alot about fighting against the system. Maybe a little too much. I’m a bit iconoclastic and tend to want to fight against any authority as much as possible. Whoops! This constant need to fight to survive is a relic of my past. But lately I am seeing how much of a need there is to give people hope. Show them that gene editing isn’t just for doing crazy biohacking stunts. It’s also for doing real things that help real people.

If there is one perk about being a famous genetic designer, it’s that my emailbox is never empty. To be honest, I don’t know if I would count that as a perk but I guess at least it is interesting. All these messages I get usually have the same punchline, someone asking me to help them solve a problem in their life using genetic engineering. Help their child who has a disease, create food or fuel to help their community or express themselves with art. It’s funny how changing genes can unexpectedly contribute so much to the needs of society.

The demand is there. We just need the supply. And while I’m not trying to over-hype, there has never been a technology that can so thoroughly impact our world. All living things have genes and thus all living things can be genetically modified. Even you and me. 

Hope starts with access. If there is nowhere to look for help it’s hard to have hope. The more people who have the knowledge and tools to perform genetic engineering the less harm the failures of society cause. We’ve become so much more dependent on the government than our neighbors and that’s kind of sad because it often let's us down when we need help the most. Eventually, every person will be let down by the abilities of governments to get us the medical treatments we need.

Curing an illness can be as simple as changing a single gene. A process that is so straightforward and articulated in so many patents, papers and FDA filings, it’s wild to think that people aren’t out there doing it all the time. And medical treatments are just an easy example. You could engineer plants for phytoremediation and extract harmful chemicals in the water table. Increase the speed of algae growth so they make a great carbon sink and help fight climate change. All of this can be done by changing a single gene. 

Change a gene, change the world.

The biological future of our world, nay the universe(if life makes it off this planet), will be one in which the genes of organisms will be edited to create worlds that are more healthy and harmonious for all living things. We can safeguard our genetic future by being knowledgeable enough to be stewards of it together.

It all starts with people learning genetic engineering.