26 DISCOVERMAGAZINE.COM
THE
At Discover, we focus on the scientific advances that will shape
tomorrow’s world. So it’s only natural that we dive into the most
fundamental way humans create the future: reproduction.
Our society is in the middle of a potential watershed moment
for what’s been, until recent history, the most primal of processes.
New technologies are making it increasingly possible to intervene
in the creation of human life. Whether this entails altering an
embryo’s DNA before it’s born or using genetic information
to assess potential mates, we have the tools to mold future
generations more explicitly than ever before.
This power brings new responsibilities and ethical worries. We
need look only to history and science fiction to see the potential
pitfalls of gene editing, artificial gestation and more.
Still, these technologies could take humanity to new heights,
both figuratively and literally. If we’re to live in space, for example,
we’ll also need to reproduce there. Today’s research advances
could one day allow us to do so safely and ethically.
This package of stories, part of a larger series, explores the
groundbreaking work that is shaping the future of fertility. You
can find the series online at http://www.DiscoverMagazine.com/fertility.
— NATHANIEL SCHARPINGOF