Vsauce, I'm Jake and how would you like to be better?
We don't get a say in what our genetics say, in those 6 billions letter of DNA that make
us up...but what if we did?
Now, we might not be able to change our DNA like in the game series BioShock where plasmids,
gene tonics and vigors allow you to enhance your genetics to such a degree that you're
shooting out bees or electricity...but what about increasing your strength, your speed
or your mind?
Can You Genetically Enhance Yourself?
First we should start by treating or preventing whatever illness we might already have using
Gene Therapy.
Let's...draw this one out...with asapSCIENCE!
Asap: Simply put, Gene Therapy is when you insert a correct gene, that single unit of
hereditary information, in place of a missing or broken one - fixing that strand of DNA.
The common method of delivery is inserting the genetic information into a virus, using
it as a vehicle or vector, to enter the cell.
Gene Therapy has been used to treat diseases like Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, leukemia,
and Leber's Congential Amaurosis - a disease that causes loss of vision.
If we can replace certain genes, could we genetically enhance our own to increase something
like strength?
Well, we already have...in mice.
Called "Schwarzenegger Mice", scientists injected a gene that created a specific protein, IGF-1,
to increase their muscle mass around 40%.
As they aged, their strength stayed the same as when they were young.
But what if we want speed?
There's mice for that too.
They were given a gene that encoded a fat burning protein creating "Marathon Mice" that
could run faster and twice the distance of normal ones.
And then there is the mind...
Asap: In 1999, researchers from Princeton University genetically modified mice, called
"Doogie", to increase their intelligence.
By inserting one certain gene, NR2B which stimulates a receptor in the hippocampus,
the mice could associate one event to another better and faster, increasing their memory
and ability to learn.
Not only that, but as the mice grew older their intelligence was mostly unchanged.
Strength, speed and intelligence are only some of the of the genetic modifications successfully
performed on animals.
There are goats that produce spider silk, hypoallergenic cats, and a variety of glow-in-the-dark
animals but my favorite is the GloFish.
GloFish were one of the first genetically modified animals to be sold as pets.
They gain their color by being given fluorescent protein genes that are found in things like
jellyfish and coral.
GloFish are patented, trademarked and owned by a company...but if we can modify and enhance
animals, and then market and sell them, how long until I can go to the store, buy some
new genes to inject and make myself stronger?
And that's where things get complicated...
Asap: Lets say you want to be taller, well, there are over 180 genes involved in height.
Which ones do we change?
Even when scientists and doctors know what to modify it might end up changing something
else, for the worse.
We can't directly control where the gene goes - it can attach, disrupting other genes.
For example, out of 30 people treated for SCID, 5 developed cancer.
When experimenting on human beings, the margins for error are a lot less than with animal
test subjects.
So we might not be able to inject genetic power-ups right now and witness immediate
changes like in BioShock, but survival of the fittest isn't solely about who is the
strongest or fastest, it's who is best adapted to their environment.
And we live in a time where we are increasingly adapting the environment to us and with that
intelligence has become one of the strongest assets.
Asap: So is there a way that you could genetically increase your offsprings' intelligence?
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and, as always, thanks for watching.