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niqhtlord01 · 2 years

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Humans are weird: Dangers of Genetic Modification

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The science conference on Durand was the single largest gathering of scientific minds in the universe. Respected, talented, and accredited individuals from a thousand different species would come together and share their collective knowledge with each other for the betterment of all.

There was no limit to the topics that could be discussed; though with so many differing species with wildly divergent views of ethics, not every line of research was what would consider morally acceptable. It could not be overlooked that cultural views would bring some of the most intelligent minds that have ever existed to butt heads. Thankfully those that had originally organized the conference had planned for this and had developed a method in which to dissipate the friction. ------------------------------------------

“Genetic modification is the future of medical advancements.”

The gathered crowd in the amphitheater murmured amongst themselves as the debate continued. In the dark confines of the room were some three hundred scientists and researchers from a hundred different star systems, and nearly three times as many watching in as the debate was live streamed.

On stage were the Vovulan Zipta Kor, who was speaking in favor genetic modifications, and the human Rashel Morse who was presenting the counter argument.

Much like their opposing viewpoints physically the two speakers could not be more different. Zipta stood just under seven feet tall with skin so dark it made the night sky look pale in comparison. His species was largely humanoid in shape save for two factors. His hands were large and had only three fingers each, and his head was a transparent orb with a single eye and brain stem floating inside. The lone eye appeared to float randomly inside the confines of his head, yet many felt as if he was staring right at them even when the eye was off looking in a completely other direction.

Rashel stood just under four and a half feet tall with skin the color of the rising sun just as it crested the horizon. Her hair was long sandstone color that she kept tied up in a ponytail behind her to keep her glasses free of the obstructing hair.

Despite their physical differences both were leading members of their respective peoples when it came to medical research and development and this debate was setup to resolve a dispute that had quickly evolved into a heated argument earlier on the conference floor.

“My people believe that if one has the capability, and the technology, to improve the lives of others then it is their mandate to do so by any means.

Zipta held out his arms to show the crowd his full form.

“There was a time that my people were frail and weak on my homeworld and we faced our extinction daily as other species sought to drive us into an early grave.”

Zipta casually grasped his podium with one hand and easily lifted it above his head with hardly any effort. The cables connecting it to the floor dangling below as the audience watched on.

“Now we are the dominant species on our world thanks to modifications we have made to our species.”

Zipta set the podium back down carefully and resumed standing behind it as it was Rashel’s turn to respond.

“While the benefits your people have made are obvious, it is far too reckless to promote that modifying other species to gain similar results.” Rashel flicked through several pages of her notes on top of her own podium and continued.

“Tampering with one’s genetic code could lead to unforeseen disasters the likes of which you could not imagine.”

“Or bring you closer to the perfection each species strives for.” Zipta countered. “The end result of natural evolution is perfection, so why does it matter if several centuries or millennia are skipped to reach said perfection and ensure a peaceful society?”

Rashel did not even need to look at her notes to call out the audacity of her opponent.

“Your conclusion is flawed in thinking that evolution has some endpoint we should all strive towards; the very basic definition of evolution is that it is a never ending process as we are faced with new situations that require us to adapt and evolve to overcome them.”

“By saying you have reached a state of perfection and have no further need to evolve means that you have become stagnant and unable to progress farther then what you have already done.” Rashel finished.

Zipta shook his head. “So you would be content to allow imperfections within your species to flourish and leave yourselves vulnerable? “

To reinforce his point he tapped several keys on his podium and a projector ignited into life behind both debaters. A medical image of a human was displayed and Zipta highlighted several areas.

“Dementia, Evans syndrome, tuberculosis, respiratory failures; all these imperfections could be undone with the simple replacement of a few strands of genetic code.”

More murmurs from the crowd as they acknowledged the list of human diseases and sicknesses that plagued humans as it scrolled down on the screen. Many were surprised by the sheer magnitude of them as the list continued scrolling.

“Many of these afflictions can be treated with existing medicine and surgical treatments.” Rashel replied, but Zipta was quick to followup.

“Treatments would not be necessary were you to eliminate these problems before your offspring were even born.” Zipta looked out over the crowd. “Even the gods would be jealous of the genetic powers we now hold.”

Rashel shook her head in disbelief. “And what happens if you are wrong and you make things worse?”

Zipta looked confused, or as confused as a floating eyeball could appear so Rashel expanded.

“When you delve that deep into genetics you are opening Pandora’s box.”

“Forgive me,” Zipta spoke, “but I am unfamiliar with this box of which you speak?”

“Long ago legends speak of a woman chosen by the gods to protect a sacred box.” Rashel recounted. “She was told to never open it, and yet was never told what was inside.”

“Curiosity built within her until one day she opened it and released the contents of the box, the miseries of physical and emotional curses, upon the world.”

“I still fail to see the connection.” Zipta replied in an uninterested tone.

“By opening the mysteries of evolution you risk setting off chain reactions that turn an easily curable disease into a plague the likes you have never seen.”

“And do you have an example of such travesties, or are you merely fear mongering to prevent progress?” Zipta replied harshly. “How often those who fear progress speak of the terrible futures that await us with not a shred of evidence to back up their statements!”

Rashel calmly closed her journal and looked out over the crowd.

“One of the oldest disease on my planet is called viral rhinitis, or more widely known as the “Common Cold.”” She began.

“It could morph its method of transmission, lay dormant within a host for days without notice, and was known to be incurable as it adapted and morphed faster than any antibody we possessed could form to counteract it.”

“The disease was not lethal, more of a hindrance really as it would leave your body after 2-3 weeks or so, but in the year 2075 humanity thought they had found a way to cure it once and for all with a new drug that altered our white blood cells to be just as adaptable as the disease.”

“The problem was,” Rashel said softly, “the white blood cells morphed too rapidly and eventually could no longer recognize infected cells and healthy cells.”

She typed several keys into her own podium and a video clip began playing. An unknown human was strapped to a hospital bed thrashing violently. Clumps of their hair were missing and deep scars pitted their body like they had been used as a carving board.

“Those who took the injection began showing symptoms of the extreme Evans Syndrome within a matter of hours and the victims died within another four days.”

Zipta looked at Rashel. “There is no easy road to medical advancement that is not paved with the loss of innocents.” He said somewhat sympathetically. He was not prepared for what Rashel said next.

“The worst part came when the infected white blood cells came into contact with common cold and turned what had been limited cases into a full blown epidemic.”

The video shifted to show entire city streets lined with body bags as soldiers and doctors alike walked down the streets in full hazmat gear.

“Within a month the initial treatment took on the highly infectious traits of the common cold and became airborne; infecting thousands of people who had never received the treatment.”

Once again the video changed to show entire cities locked down in quarantine with milling masses of people trying to flee only to be blocked by armed checkpoints. Several victims were seen to be gunned down when they attempted to breach the quarantine setting the rest of the crowds into a panic.

“In two months’ time what had been intended to cure the oldest ailment to humanity had killed over 400 million people on two continents, which then set off a wave of supply chain issues that caused a further 100 million deaths around the planet.”

Rashel looked at Zipta now as the horrific video continued playing behind her.

“It is only natural that one should seek to ease the pain of their people, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

#HUMANS ARE WEIRD #humans are insane #humans are space orcs #humans are space oddities #scifi #story #writing #original writing

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