4 ms·
> They’ve had the genomes of their frozen embryos tested and are selecting which ones to implant according to how well they score on intelligence and future hea
by kashunstva 2y ago
> They’ve had the genomes of their frozen embryos tested and are selecting which ones to implant according to how well they score on intelligence and future health.
There’s a lot to unpack in this article; but the selection of embryos on intelligence sounds like a stretch. Is that much known about the specific polymorphisms that result in intelligence, however you care to define it?
- dash2 2y agoThat's a kind of open question. You can't select on specific polymorphisms, because intelligence is very polygenic (as are most health conditions). You can select on polygenic scores, which sum up the effects of millions of polymorphisms. The controversial question is whether there might be unknown side effects. Like, what if intelligence is genetically correlated with autism? Overall, my suspicion is that it'll be fine, because you are selecting on (a sum of) many genetic variants that are common in the population already. But I would not be 100% confident of that statement.
- davidgerard 2y agono, it's entirely made up. we might know specific markers for specific disabilities, but if you're talking about how to score above average starting from a baseline of normal (say, healthy with adequate nutrition) then it's all made-up wishful thinking.