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What is Modern Eugenics?

aaaaEugenics is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as “The science of improving stock, whether human or animal”. This is a fairly simplistic explanation for a process which has shaped every aspect of the human race. Eugenics is essentially a method to achieve the goal of the evolutionary process: to weed out the flaws of a species in order to make it stronger.

 aaaaA more thorough explanation of eugenics requires some background knowledge of genetics. Every living species on Earth has a genetic structure; essentially, it is a strand of protein molecules. These protein molecules, known as Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), are chemically arranged in a manner that allows them to store a great deal of information. DNA, in turn, is stored in strands known as chromosomes.

 aaaaEach chromosome serves as a relatively complete and independent package of DNA, and chromosomes are grouped together in sets, known as diploid pairs. These pairs reside within the nuclei of every somatic cell, any cell unrelated to reproduction, in an organism’s body The DNA stored within chromosomes is used as a blueprint by the body to create and maintain itself.

aaaa Also, the germ cells of all organisms, cells within eggs and sperm, contain DNA. Unlike the somatic cells, the germ cells contain only a single set of chromosomes which combines with the chromosomes of the opposite sex of a given species in order to complete a diploid pair. This creates the genetic structure of the offspring. Subsequently, DNA determines or influences every characteristic of an organism, from its physical strength to its personality. Now that the basics of genetics have been explained, a more complete description of eugenics is that it is the science of refining the genetic structure of an organism in order to improve its inherent characteristics.

aaaaThere are three major types of eugenics which have existed throughout history: natural, conventional, and modern. The first and original type of eugenics is known as evolution or natural selection. Throughout the evolutionary process that all species undergo, the inferior members of a species do not procreate, because they die from various factors which do not kill the strong. Also, because most animals naturally prefer to mate with the most succcessful members of their respective species, the inferior of a given species are not nearly as likely to procreate even if they survive. Therefore, their genetic material and inferior characteristics are effectively removed from the gene pool of that species.

aaaaThe second major type of eugenics is defined as conventional eugenics. Although the first documented case of conventional eugenic experimentation with humans was first attempted by the ancient Greeks, farmers and animal herders have been using conventional eugenics for centuries. Essentially, this process entails selective breeding. In order to accelerate the natural trend of evolution, the breeder decides which animals are the most desirable and only allows them to propagate. So, instead of having to wait years for the environment to remove the inferior organisms from the gene pool, the breeder is able to act as soon as the subject has matured.

 aaaaCurrently, a third type of eugenics is emerging: modern eugenics, also known as genetic engineering. Unlike natural (natural selection) or conventional (selective breeding) eugenics, modern eugenics completely removes evolution from the reproductive process. In other words, when utilizing modern eugenics to improve a species, the entire process can be completed in the proverbial test tube, requiring almost no involvement by the organism’s genetic donors.

aaaaModern eugenics utilizes genetic engineering to directly effect an organism’s genome (the sum of an organism’s genetic material). Scientists’ understanding of eukaryotic (animal) DNA allows them to use a technique known as recombinant DNA or gene splicing. This procedure enables scientists to transfer DNA strands from one animal into another. For example, in 1987, scientists at the University of California took the gene for bioluminescence from a firefly and inserted it into a tobacco plant to produce glowing tobacco So, rather than waiting for centuries or millennia in order to refine and guide a species through the other two types of eugenics, scientists of modern eugenics are now able to remove “undesirable” traits and add “desireable” characteristics almost at will.

 aaaaWith the development of modern eugenics, humans have arrived at a critical juncture in the evolutionary process of the human race. Should the human race play an active role in its own genetic development? Scientists have been experimenting with eugenics for centuries. However, without the means to directly effect change in the genetic structure of any organism, they have been limited to experimenting with selective breeding, a process rendered fairly innocuous by the long periods of time necessary for each trial to reach fruition. Now that scientists have the ability to create any type of organism imaginable through genetic engineering, the modern eugenics has now become an imminent danger.