For the human race survival can we fix/improve the DNA genome and remove/reduce the violent/aggressive traits?

Answer 1

You mean eugenics like the Nazis did? Only the marxists want to do that as part of their master plan to enslave humanity.

Then again, you know that already you communist scumbag.

Answer 2

I would imagine that tinkering with the genome on this level might have dramatic unintended consequences. We do not really know that what you define as our 'agressive' tendencies may be a blessing in disguise... with these tendencies altered or neutralized we may become no more than cattle, to be ruled over with impugnity... In any event, how would one propose to do such a thing to all the billions of people on the planet. If we cannot afford to even feed and provide clean water for our species, how can we presume to be able to tinker with every unborn thing...

Personally the prospect seems absurd, and if executable, fairly nightmarish. I would trust no one with sufficient power to do such a thing.

Such thoughts smack of the eugenics that led inexhorably to Hitler's master race theory.

No thanks.

Answer 3

why would we want to do that? some aspects of those traits can lead ppl to do great things, not to mention the terrible one i know you're thinking of. it creates our drive, our motivation, our edge, it separates us from all the rest, it compells our ambition and creativity in some instances. but to every good thing there is a bad side, which we have compassion and love to negate the effects of. and essentially, this violent/aggressive trait has lead the human race to still exist from the dawn of our creation. it is our basic primal instinct.
i imagine if that day ever did com where they removed the specific gene, it would be like living in th twilight zone with smiling happy zombies everywhere. veryyy scarry!!

Answer 4

This is a very important and ugly problem that is looming on the horizon of genomics and reproductive biology. The last 20 years in biology has seen a truly incredible revolution in our ability to manipulate DNA to the point where we can produce fragment of DNA up to thousands of base pairs coding whatever sequence we want with incredible ease. Every year we gain new breakthroughs to sequence, annotate, elucidate the function of and manipulate larger pieces of genetic material.

The technology you allude to is called "gene therapy" and promises the ability to make change to our genes. This is highly experimental and usually involves putting gene sequences into engineered viruses in order to use their nanomachinery (forged by evolution) to introduce these genes into cells. This field has experiences some notorious setbacks due to irresponsible and precocious experiments by some clinical trials but has some truly great potential for curing disease. Experiments in mice have seen some great results where sickle cell anemia, immunodeficiency, and diabetes have been attentuated or reversed.

In my opinion, intervening at the genomic level to repair or interfere with genes containing disease mutations or is one thing, manipulating peoples' genes to change their mind is quite another. I agree with other posters that this smacks of eugenics and the dark days of the early and mid 20th century.

Genetic diversity is very important in a population for a healthy gene pool. It is also very dangerous to change genes before you fully understand their function. Maybe a certain form a gene is associated with increased intelligence but also gives a person a 500% increase in stroke risk. You can delete a receptor in everyone required for infection by a virus (like CCR4 for HIV) but what if something happens down the line where it would be really nice to have a CCR4 receptor. Once you release a gene into the wilderness of a population, you cannot call it back (without elimination of that group).

In the next century we will have the ability to screen children at early stages in utero for disease genes with DNA microarrays (want to know whether your baby will have Huntingtin's Disease at age 45 when there are only 100 cells?) and repair those genes in nearly every cell of that child before it is even born. This, in my mind is a good thing. Is it ok then, to give your child an intellectual advantage over his peers, give them the genetic equivalent of permanent valium (as you suggest), resistance to radiation damage, or Aryan features? I am a true believer in science (I am a neuroscientist actually) but this scares the crap out of me. The likely consequence of this path is uber-children for the wealthy and a genetic upper class.

I'll take natural evolution of the mind, thank you.

Answer 5

I agree with Zahirj. Removal or reduction of the violent aggressive traits isn't something that can easily be done seeing as that's influenced by society rather than biology.

Answer 6

scientists have just recently sequenced the complete human genome . studies are going on regarding the possiblities of altering the genome but they have not advancedi to the level that
you talk

Answer 7

They do that and Im sure they'd screw it up ALA Serenity. Or if they said violent folks can't breed that would just tick them off enough to to kill the wuss knockers.

Answer 8

Someday.

Answer 9

can we also remove the liberalism gene or the pro choice gene? how about the stupidity gene, that would be a good one!

Answer 10

Violence and agression are problems of socialization, not biology.