> I think the ability to eliminate disease is massively powerful and a net good. One real-world example of this is genetically modifying the American Chestnut

> I think the ability to eliminate disease is massively powerful and a net good. One real-world example of this is genetically modifying the American Chestnut by splicing in genes of the Japanese Chestnut, which is resistant to the blight since it co-evolved with it. The resistance comes from how Japanese Chestnut trees respond to oxalis acid by walling it off, preventing the fungus from spreading. > That said, I’m concerned about the long term tail end risks of such work. One bleak science fiction novel that takes place in this kind of future, specifically an amped-up version of the corporate GMO food crop meddling you referenced, is The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi.