From the beginning of life on Earth all species have evolved through the process of natural selection. With natural selection only the strongest of each species survived to reproduce and pass on their unique genetics to there young.  If the  gene combination between the male and female was not favorable the offspring would not survive, but if it was good, a healthy, strong, disease resistant offspring would survive to reproduce again.  Over time the species would gradually evolve.  For hundreds of thousands of years humans have been no exception, until now.

How will the rapid and continuing advances in Medical Science over the last 100 years effect the genetics of our future generations?

Is medical science making us sicker?

Out of all the people close to you, take a moment to think about how many would not still be alive if not for recent advances in medical science such as asthma treatments, cancer treatments, antibiotics, surgeries etc.? The fact is medical science has saved a dramatic amount of lives but of all the people saved it has not done anything to change the genetics that caused the problems in the first place.  Are weak and disease prone genes being passed on to our children causing them to be sicker and develop even more medical problems?  Are we slowly becoming weaker as a population?  Elementary schools have already shown a dramatic increase in the average number of students off sick on any given day as compared to 25 years ago.  Is this just the beginning of what will be an ever increasing trend in the future?

Some might argue that there is no problem, people are living well into their 80’s now, but when you think about it people in their 80’s now were born back in the 1930’s. Their parents would have been born in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s back when Medical science was not nearly as advanced as it is now and didn’t have such a profound effect on natural selection.  Being born with good healthy genes and having the benefits of modern medicine at a later age, these people could be on average one of the healthiest and longest living generations ever.  Will we soon start seeing a decline in the average life expectancy of future generations?

Is Medical Science keeping up?  We now have antibiotic resistant bacteria, superbugs, SARS, and most recently Ebola that has left scientists scrambling to find a cure.  As bacteria and viruses continue to evolve and we become weaker what’s next?  Will medical Science be able to keep up with our ever increasing genetic shortfalls?   At what costs?

In some third world countries where modern medicine is not widely available the process of natural selection still continues.  Are these people slowly becoming genetically stronger then the people in developed countries? If there was a new major global disease outbreak that science could not find a cure for quick enough are they more likely to survive?

Research into genetics and DNA is making dramatic differences in our lives today. We now have drought resistant crops, disease resistant livestock even apples that don’t go brown but when it comes to humans there is currently a moral barrier.  Some people believe experimenting and altering genes and DNA in humans is crossing the line and too much like playing god.  Have we already crossed the line? Does this line even exist or is it just our way of dealing with the current way we think?   Aside from going back to natural selection is gene and DNA altering the only way for us to continue to survive and evolve?

Dave Lister

listerlogic.com