Why this book: I read Jamie Metzl’s Superconvergence and was most amazed by the portions in which he spoke of genetic engineering. Also I really like his approach and ability to explain complex biology to a layman.

Summary in 3 Sentences:  Published in 2018, Hacking Darwin is a broad description of what Metzl calls the “genetic revolution” and covers the issues associated with genetic engineering from soup to nuts.  He describes experimentation that was (at that time) being done, where progress was being made as well as on-going challenges, and explains some of the very promising opportunities, as well as dangers and trends he foresaw in gene editing in the future.  And given the threats to humanity that he identifies should gene editing not be controlled, he finishes with an examination of options for a species-wide dialogue among international agencies and nations for how best to manage this incredibly potent ability to prevent it from becoming an uncontrolled human catastrophe. 

My Impressions:  Absolutely fascinating book – almost reads like science fiction – and what is hard to imagine, is how much progress – toward positive and negative outcomes – has been made since this  was published 6 years ago. 

He gives us background on reproductive science and technology, how In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) was developed and has become a standard and accepted practice for parents to have children. He then points out how IVF opens the door to genetic testing of a number of fertilized embryos and parents deciding which to bring to term, which to destroy.  He points to how this has the great advantage of significantly reducing the occurrence of diseases with a genetic causes, and foresees how he believes this will become standard practice in preventing diseases with genetic origins, and that childbirth through traditional means will be seen as playing Russian Roulette with children’s lives and futures. 

But he notes that genetic testing of IVF embryos also gives parents the chance to choose the gender of their children, and as genes associated with various characteristics and qualities are becoming identified, parents will be able to choose other genetic advantages they’d like  their children to have.  This opens the door for a number of difficult moral questions.

He not only tells how this is a possibility, but early on, he puts us in the hypothetical seat of a parent who is asked to make decisions about the various fertilized embryos that are available to be brought to term.  And he makes it clear that these are not easy decisions, noting that all parents want to give their children every advantage possible to compete well and succeed in life. And he postulates that as soon as the wealthy, the amoral, the privileged are doing enhancing their own children’s chances for success,  he believes  it is likely that others will do the same, so that their children are not genetically disadvantaged. 

He points to athletics and how those with clear genetic advantages are being selected for enhanced training in some countries.  Genes associated with exceptional athletic performance are being identified and children with those genetic markers are identified early and put into special programs to enhance those gifts. Think East Germany in the 80s.  Think Russia and China, and Uzbekistan today.  Where will that eventually lead us?  He somewhat apocalyptically foresees a potential genetic arms race between countries and races that will undermine what it currently means to be human.  

But genetic screening is very different from gene editing, and he gives CRISPR Cas 9 the famous and first effecdtive gene editing tool developed by American bio-chemist Jennifer Doudna considerable attention.  Different and more accurate tools were being developed as he wrote the book, and with the pace of research and change, undoubtedly today there has been even more transformative progress.  

One of the most controversial of the gene editing capabilities is making heritable changes in a living a person’s genes, so that future generations springing from that person’s DNA will have the altered gene.   If this capability becomes widespread, it could change humanity in ways that are hard to predict.  He is adamant that this procedure and capability needs to be strictly controlled by some authority – but the challenge is who?  And how?

He concludes the book by exploring the many challenges that are presented by the challenge of oversight over the genetic revolution. There is no governing body able to enforce guidelines or to punish those who cross red lines.  He points to  many moral dilemmas that will easily tempt those who have the ability to try to gain some personal,  national, or even racial advantage by editing genes that would provide competitive advantage.  He is not optimistic that this will be able to be controlled, but insists that we must try.  And hope that the worst abuses can be mitigated. 

Metzl’s book is a wake-up call – that genetic engineering and editing are already happening and he foresees that the genetic revolution will be one of the most important challenges to humanity in the future.  It is also a clarion call for leadership to keep the impact of this amazing capability entirely, or mostly positive, and to warn against the dangers of anarchy in the world of gene editing and genetic engineering.  

I listened to the book and found the reader’s slight lisp to be somewhat distracting.  I got used to it and it didn’t really affect my appreciation for the content, but it was a distraction.