US startup charging couples to ‘screen embryos for IQ’ (www.theguardian.com)
from fattyfoods@feddit.nl to technology@lemmy.ml on 18 Oct 18:35
https://feddit.nl/post/22663423

#technology

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davel@lemmy.ml on 18 Oct 18:55 next collapse

I hope this is just a rich people grift, because then who cares.

drspod@lemmy.ml on 19 Oct 01:20 collapse

Anyone who falls for the scam of thinking that you can determine IQ from the genome of an embryo is probably below average themselves.

davel@lemmy.ml on 19 Oct 01:22 collapse

Never overestimate the intelligence of the wealthy: it’s like leaving money on the table.

RobotToaster@mander.xyz on 18 Oct 19:02 next collapse

I’ll probably get downvoted for saying this, but as a transhumanist the potential for this kind of technology is huge.

It’s expensive now, but 20 years ago it cost $2.7 billion to sequence a full human genome, now it’s around $600. Imagine a world where this process is inexpensive and easily available.

growsomethinggood@reddthat.com on 18 Oct 20:03 next collapse

So, Gattica?

MutilationWave@lemmy.world on 18 Oct 23:37 next collapse

So let’s pretend that IQ is a reasonable measure of intelligence. Do you think that it may be related to undesirable traits?

drspod@lemmy.ml on 19 Oct 01:17 next collapse

You’re just unabashedly supporting eugenics? Is that because you’re too young, or too uneducated to know any better?

RobotToaster@mander.xyz on 19 Oct 07:13 collapse

It’s because I was born disabled.

geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml on 19 Oct 07:30 collapse

I’m glad you’re here though.

Blemgo@lemmy.world on 20 Oct 20:32 collapse

While genetic research has huge potential in early diagnoses, and possible prevention, of illnesses caused by genetic defects, the statement that one can determine (general) intelligence of a potential offspring by checking embryos seems nonsensical from the get go.

First of all would be the definition of (general) intelligence. What exactly is it? Even when assuming that an IQ test cannot be cheated, the concept of reflecting one’s general problem solving skills by a number makes little sense. Can we really say that a savant that heavily struggles with everything but in one field has the same intelligence as someone that is completely standard in any way when both have the same IQ score? I would say not, as the former would need much more support than the latter.

Furthermore, often points concerning something related to eugenics ignore the nature vs nurture debate. How much of our skills are dependent on our environment? To what extent can we say that our minds have a limit on how intelligent we are? It’s hard to say, as there isn’t much research about it, and experiments on that topic are often inhumane, historically speaking. So we need to keep this lack of knowledge in mind when talking about topics like eugenics.

HootinNHollerin@lemmy.world on 19 Oct 00:37 next collapse

Plot of GATTACA

TheOubliette@lemmy.ml on 19 Oct 14:24 collapse

Race science is back, baby!