This blog post examines how biotechnology and genetic modification are altering human capabilities and identity, questioning whether enhanced humans can still be considered ‘Homo sapiens’.
Entering the 21st century, our lives have undergone truly profound changes. Advances in medical technology have already ushered us into the era of 100-year lifespans. Through genetic mapping—the process of decoding the entire DNA sequence—we have identified disease genes and developed pharmaceuticals to treat these genetic disorders. Countless cutting-edge biotechnology and medical technologies currently under research will bring yet another massive transformation to humanity. Perhaps a method for humans to live forever will be presented. But can we say that extending human lifespan means the end of Homo sapiens, or humanity, will not come? Rather, due to this rapid advancement in science and technology, are we not walking ourselves toward the end of Homo sapiens?
Humans have evolved thus far according to the natural law of natural selection. Just as the long-necked giraffe survived the competition of natural selection by being able to eat leaves from high places, leading to its present form, humans too have adapted to nature and followed the flow of natural selection. However, humans are now transcending themselves by bypassing the laws of nature one by one, based on their own intellectual design—manipulating genes, creating new species, and so forth.
A prime example of humans replacing natural selection through intellectual design is biotechnology. Biotechnology refers to the technology or discipline that produces benefits for humans at the biological level, such as through gene transfer. This discipline did not suddenly emerge in the 21st century but has developed alongside humanity for a long time. For instance, in ancient times, people castrated bulls to create less aggressive castrated bulls for farm work, or castrated humans of the same species to create soprano singers or eunuchs. However, today’s biotechnology is advancing exponentially as humanity gains an understanding of how living organisms function at the cellular and cellular nucleus levels. In 1996, scientists conducted research implanting bovine cartilage onto a mouse’s back to regulate the growth of new tissue, predicting this technology could be used to create artificial ears transplantable into humans. And just one or two years ago, a surgery was actually successful: a patient who lost an ear in a traffic accident had an ear grown on their right arm, which was then transplanted back into its original position. Furthermore, genetic engineering holds even more astonishing potential.
While genetic engineering possesses remarkable potential, it simultaneously raises constant ethical and political issues. As a result, we currently utilize only a fraction of its potential, applying genetic engineering primarily to limited organisms like plants, insects, and bacteria. Nevertheless, scientists have already achieved numerous breakthroughs. Genes from E. coli and various fungi have been manipulated to mass-produce insulin, and cold-resistant genes extracted from Arctic fish have been successfully inserted into potatoes to create frost-resistant varieties. Furthermore, some mammals are also being studied as subjects for genetic engineering. So, won’t next-generation genetic engineering ultimately progress toward application to humans? If humans could be modified into desired forms by inserting or removing specific genes even before birth, could such humans truly still be called Homo sapiens?
The advancement of genetic manipulation technology leads people to imagine a future where this technology is actually applied to humans. In the movie “My Sister’s Keeper,” the protagonist Anna had to undergo surgery to donate bone marrow to her sister Kate, who suffers from acute myeloid leukemia. This was because Anna was a “designer baby,” conceived through in vitro fertilization and genetically engineered to be a perfect tissue match for Kate. As a result, Anna was obligated to undergo surgery against her will. She eventually sues her mother, demanding the right to make her own medical decisions. Another film, “Gattaca,” depicts a society where human destiny and life are determined based on genetics. It categorizes people born through artificial means as ‘qualified’ and those born naturally as “unqualified,” with society evaluating individuals solely through genetic testing. What if, before a human is even born, genetic testing is performed to remove unnecessary genes and insert necessary ones? What if those genes become the standard defining a person’s entire life? Could we then classify naturally born individuals as unqualified and artificially born individuals as qualified? Wouldn’t we instead classify naturally born humans as Homo sapiens and artificially engineered humans as non-Homo sapiens?
With rapid advances in biotechnology, we have reached an era of personalized medicine where treatments are tailored to a patient’s DNA based on genetic research. So, what if medicine advances further into an era where human capabilities themselves are enhanced? Consider Alzheimer’s disease, a prime example of a major illness modern medicine still cannot cure. Alzheimer’s is a leading degenerative brain disorder and the most common form of dementia, yet modern medicine remains unable to treat it. What if a drug existed that could cure Alzheimer’s, and what if this drug could also enhance the intelligence or memory of ordinary humans? Beyond curing Alzheimer’s, if biotechnology could grant enhanced abilities to all humans, could we still call them Homo sapiens?
In Chapter 20, “The End of Homo sapiens,” of Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens, he raises the possibility that biotechnology could bring about the end of Homo sapiens. Genetic engineering and biotechnology are altering not only human lifespan, physiological functions, and immune systems, but also intellectual and emotional capacities. Homo sapiens are using this technology to manipulate genes, create new organisms, and transform their own form. If humans themselves induce such diverse changes, including genetic manipulation, can future humans truly be called Homo sapiens? In the 21st century, an era of advanced science and technology, genetic engineering will continue to evolve endlessly for human convenience and health. And perhaps, due to these technologies, humans’ innate, unique characteristics may gradually disappear, with artificially engineered humans coming to occupy a larger share of the world. So, do you think the moment of extinction will also come for Homo sapiens? Perhaps we are already walking the path toward the ‘end of Homo sapiens’. If we fail to use the genetic manipulation technology given to us wisely, are we not taking one step closer to the end of Homo sapiens even at this very moment?
