China plans to 'produce' a series of child prodigies?

The Vice page of US media company Vice Vice has just published an article that has stirred up public opinion, suggesting that China may be pursuing a plan to use gene technology to create a genius generation of geniuses. Future.

Below we have a brief summary of this article:

At China's BGI Research Institute in Shenzhen, scientists collected DNA samples from 2,000 individuals among the world's smartest people and are sequencing their entire genome to receive the allele identifies human intelligence.

Obviously, Chinese scientists are approaching the results and when completed, embryo screening will allow parents to choose their best zygote and can increase the intelligence of each. add 5 - 15 IQ points. Over the next few generations, competing with China for intellectual capabilities seems impossible.

Vice's correspondent had an open conversation with Geoffrey Miller, an evolutionary psychologist who teaches at New York University (USA) and is one of 2,000 characters who currently donate their DNA samples. I give BGI.

According to Miller, since the 1990s, China has begun using ultrasound to detect birth defects before birth and, recently, they have spent a lot of money researching human genes to Find out what kind of genes make people smarter.

The Shenzhen BGI Institute is the largest genetic research center in China and also the largest in the world. This research institute focuses not only on understanding human genes but also on the genes of many animal and plant species and anything related to economic interests as well as scientific interests.

A few days ago, BGI sent an email to Mr. Miller to announce that they almost finished solving the genetic sequence for the Cognitive Genetic Project using his DNA pattern and that The final result will be available soon.

China's BGI gene research institute in Shenzhen. (Photo: Vice)

Regarding the selection of DNA samples for research, Miller said, BGI seems to be most interested in people with Chinese and European backgrounds. Basically, they recruited samples through a scientific conference and oral presentation. Applicants will also have to provide some evidence to show that they are as smart as they say. Candidates will also have to send their complete CV, published publications, results of standard IQ tests, verification of university placement, .

Predicting the application of the BGI project, Miller said that once researchers have information on genes that determine human intelligence and a fertilized egg, divide it into a number of sacrifices. cells, they can sample one of those cells to find the desired intelligence if it is cultured and become a human being.

This means that any couple can have many eggs fertilized in the lab with their father's sperm and mother's eggs. After that, experts can test many embryos and analyze which embryos will become the smartest. The child will still be the couple's child if they have it naturally, but will be the smartest of their parents' children. This is not a genetic modification technique or more new genes, but the process of using the existing genes of the parents.

BGI experts almost complete the gene sequencing of 2,000 fish
People are among the smartest people in the world. (Artwork: Vice)

Over the generations, in this way, people's intelligence can therefore be multiplied.

Even if the average intelligence of a child only increases by 5 IQ points, it is enough to make a huge difference in terms of economic productivity, competitiveness of the country, the number of patents they have Yes, how to run businesses as well as the level of innovation of the economy.

However, Miller stressed, although BGI's research may open a potential window for genetic engineering in the future, it will take longer to make it a reality. At the time when large-scale billet analysis could be applied, the scientist thought that it could be five to 10 years or less, depending on how the process was pushed.

According to Miller, in the field of genetic research, the West lagged relatively behind China. Although possessing the same technical capabilities and statistical capabilities to analyze data, Chinese people collect data on a much larger scale and seem to be able to transform scientific findings into Government policies and testing commercial genes are much easier than those of the West.