>“So, the next step in terms of human health would be to examine this region in databases of human genes to see how much variation there is in normal people and

>“So, the next step in terms of human health would be to examine this region in databases of human genes to see how much variation there is in normal people and whether some deletions or mutations in this region could lead to a lowered expression of sodium channels, which might result in disease.” Actually, I think the next interesting step would be to look for a similar gene mutation in those humans who have claimed that street lights dim as they pass or that they are sensitive to electromagnetic radiation. Or even more cool - we could induce this genetic change in humans so that we all produce electric energy available on demand and then design clothing that allows us to harvest and use this energy. We would all be self-contained generators and accessing this power could be made as simple as using a silicone dongle that fits over your little finger or other convenient appendage with an adapter for any device on the other end. Fingertip chargers for your phones! Imagine if you will an electric automobile that you own that can only be started when there is a driver in the seat who has connected the vehicle's electronics to their own body, authenticating themselves to the vehicle. You could lock a vehicle to a specific person while still enabling a valet mode that provides highly limited functionality to a non-authenticatable operator. This vehicle needs no batteries since the power is supplied by the operator and as long as the operator is still alive and connected the vehicle can be driven. I'm no electrical engineer or geneticist and I don't play one in my driveway but this seems like a great use case for gene-editing technology. Elimination of the need for batteries could stop a lot of environmental degradation from the mining and processing of ores. If we all could be self-contained powerpacks then there would be no need for batteries. I wonder whether this means that a user would need to consume more calories to supply all that energy. That might strain food resources globally. Hmmmm, a lot to consider here. Y'all are smart. I'm sure you'll identify all the hurdles to conquer and come up with some cool tech in the process. I'll work on more bullshit ideas.