How likley is that China will get a genetic edge?

[Drake Tungsten]

They were obviously so concerned about picking parents with tall genes that they didn't think about picking people with strong feet. Central planning fails yet again...

[Elok]

Anyway why is everyone here just focusing on eugenics and ignoring genetic engineering? I specifically started the OP with talk about how China is becoming a scientific superpower with more pragmatic bioethics and how this means they will probably get results first.


Also this stupid talk of dog breeding. Are you guys seriusly ingoring the many succeses of animal husbandry? Sure many side effects pop up but they nearly always acheive their objectives. People seem to forget that even many dog breeds where bred for a purpose and are better at them than baseline dogs or wolves. They just seem to remember the freakish dogs breeds that where bread because they where freaks and looked "interesting".

We're very effective generalists, thanks. Generalists tend to prosper where specialists flounder, in unpredictable situations. Given all the talk about climate change, it would be idiotic to tinker with the human genome to that end. Especially given that there are inevitably a few goofs in the early version of any project. And human beings take twenty years to mature, ie for any reasonable portion of the design flaws to become apparent. And at least twice as many goofs are to be expected when a project is commissioned by an autocracy that's up to its ass in corruption.

Also, we have MACHINES. If we want to accomplish a task, it's far simpler and safer to make a machine do it than to muck about with our own DNA. The two main problems with us that I know of are the inefficient eyeball and the bad lower back. I assume that fixing the back would substantially alter our appearance, so no thanks, I'll just take improved surgical techniques to fix it when it goes bad. As for the eyes...well, even lasik surgery is kinda risky, so I'll keep those too. You wanna trade out your parts for a grab-bag, go ahead. You're in the Balkans, we can consider that "testing to destruction."

[Elok]

They were obviously so concerned about picking parents with tall genes that they didn't think about picking people with strong feet. Central planning fails yet again...

Also, being VERY tall puts specific stresses on the human frame. IIRC the tallest man on record had numerous health problems and ultimately died of heart failure.