DNA pioneers brought together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the molecule鈥檚 structure believe humans will begin to genetically enhance themselves 鈥� and their unborn children 鈥� in the next 50 years.
It was on 25 April 1953 that Francis Crick and James Watson published their seminal paper in the journal Nature. The breakthrough revealed how genetic information is passed from one generation to the next and revolutionised biology and medicine.
At a meeting in London to mark the anniversary, Watson said the future of genetics holds the promise of a much greater understanding of human nature. He argued that, for example, understanding the effect of genetic variation on behaviour will lead to the fusion of biology and psychology.
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Another Nobel prize winner, geneticist Sydney Brenner, agrees that the new ability to examine our genes, marked by the recent completion of the human genome project, will lead to 鈥渢he birth of human sciences鈥�.
Germ line
Deadly cancers could even be eliminated forever by new gene technology, believes Miro Radman, an expert on DNA repair at the Institut National de la Sant茅 et de la Recherche M茅dicale in Paris, France. Modifying genes in germ cells 鈥� sperm and eggs 鈥� could serve as a 鈥渉eritable vaccine against cancer鈥�, he says.
The idea of altering genes in the germ line is highly controversial because the changes 鈥� good or bad 鈥� pass to every one of a person鈥檚 descendents. But Radman backs germ line intervention, arguing that medical science already intervenes widely. 鈥淢edicine is preventing natural deaths, contraception is preventing natural births 鈥� we do not have clean hands,鈥� he said.
Humans are in conflict with their genomes, according to Radman. 鈥淭he genome does not care for us after 45 years 鈥� evolution is not interested post-reproduction.鈥�
Francis Crick鈥檚 laugh
Understanding human variability on all levels will dominate the next 100 years, said Watson, now president of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York: 鈥淰ariations in DNA are responsible for why we are all different, our predisposition to disease, violence, sense of humour 鈥� even Francis Crick鈥檚 laugh.鈥�
He argued that because genes control the level of our neurotransmitters and receptors in our brains, then variability in these genes leads different people to exhibit different behaviours.
Such knowledge could help understand why people are affected differently by different environments. 鈥淚 want to know which of these gene variants I have 鈥� if abused as a child would I have become really violent?鈥� he asked.
Watson, known for his outspoken remarks, acknowledged that many people considered it immoral to use genetics to enhance humans. 鈥淏ut I would use it wherever you could improve human life. I think we should be able to try and improve people鈥檚 minds,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 see genetics as offending the gods, I don鈥檛 think there are any gods up there.鈥�