Genetic Banking – Capturing Opportunities

Once a life is lived, its genetic outcome is spent.

If a species has not taken advantage of the genetic opportunities presented to it, then that is a wasteful loss of potential. It’s like a squandered talent, like a great athlete who fails to make the most of their gift.

In a relentless battle for survival, to miss out on a resource that could prove necessary or beneficial might be considered both negligent and irresponsible. In fact, the failure to maximise our genetic output by not enabling genes to multiply is a dereliction of our genetic duty. We are not fulfilling our purpose in life. As such, the consequences could be grave.

Ultimately, it might even threaten the species’ very survival.

And yet, such genetic lapses do occur. They might happen for a number of reasons:

• Individuals may simply fail to reproduce. This may be a deliberate action, a lifestyle choice, or a medical reason.
• Individuals may not maximise their reproductive output, perhaps having a single child rather than two or three. This “one child” reproductive strategy may be justifiable on the basis that the parents can invest and concentrate their resources on a single child, but it does carry greater genetic risk as the parents are putting all their faith in that single child.
• Individuals may perish before reproducing.
• Within an individual, given a prevailing environment, certain genetic qualities and strengths may not reveal themselves and thereby go undeveloped. A person with great intelligence, for example, may not achieve reproductive success because of their unsightly appearance or an incredible runner may not be able to demonstrate their speed because they are not allowed to compete.

When this happens, genes are lost, and their potential goes unrealised.

As we advance as a species, humanity will become increasingly aware of the possibilities of this untapped resource. We will recognise that we need to make the most out of what is available to us.

We cannot afford to let genetic opportunities slip by.

Currently, humanity seems mainly concerned with other species and with changes to the environment; many of them are threatened with extinction. We are therefore largely focused on securing their survival. Hence, there are breeding programmes and wildlife protection schemes trying to improve the conditions for endangered species.

In the future, with advances in technology, we may well begin to address our own genetic existence. How do we safeguard our own future? What else do we want to achieve? How do we get the best out of ourselves?

We will want to tap into the full gamut of resources that are available to us.

If a genetic mutation confers a particularly desirable attribute, even if it is a one-off, we will want to know how to preserve and foster that genetic characteristic. How do we save it? How do we make use of it? How do we make that a part of our human species?

We will also become more concerned with the loss of genes within the human entity. We do not want to lose genetic traits that we previously possessed. They may be useful in the future. How, therefore, do we safeguard our genetic heritage? Can we do anything to prevent this genetic loss?

How can we take more control over the preservation process? What can we do to better secure humanity’s survival?

To prevent these wasteful genetic losses, we may eventually seek to build a bank of genes. This will be a storage facility where we can safely and securely hold a stock of genes that, should we need to, we can withdraw from.

A Genetic Bank would give us access to resources that may be beneficial in our ever-changing, ever-challenging battle with Nature – savings we can call upon for that worrisome rainy day.

Over the last couple of decades, Kew Gardens has established the Millennium Seed Bank, where it stores plant seeds from across the world, conserving them for the future. It means that, should a plant become extinct in the wild, it may be possible to reintroduce it by germinating these saved seeds.

It also means that plants which may have future food or medical benefits are not lost.

A Genetic Bank would operate in a similar manner, saving threatened genes from extinction. Who knows whether or not such genes – singularly or when combined with others – might be of use to us in the future?

Banking deposits would be received from:

• Individuals who choose or are unable to reproduce. Rather than losing out on their genetic potential, those unique genes that they have can be extrapolated and saved. Securing their genes means that they are still in the genetic game. Their genes will survive.
• As we have evolved, we have lost certain genes because they have not been beneficial in the prevailing environment (These are known as Pseudogenes, and we consider them in more detail here – Pseudogenes – Reliving the Past). Their demise does not mean they might not have some future value. As environments change – and they are changing increasingly rapidly – with our genes unable to keep pace, those genes that are at risk can be protected.
• We will increasingly tap into the genetic assets of other species. If another species has a quality that we might find beneficial, we could genetically isolate it and then consider implanting it into our own being. This would massively increase human potential and offer new directions for our evolution.
• Certain genetic mutations may appear briefly in a reproductive product. Unable to survive, they may be lost within a single generation. If individuals were found to have unique genes that might be valuable, those genes could be harvested to ensure their future survival.

By becoming involved in the management of genetic reproduction, we can massively accelerate the evolutionary process. It means that, to make advances, humanity is not reliant on natural processes; it does not have to wait for a critical mass before certain genetic qualities become widespread.

Scientifically and ethically, we may be concerned that by pursuing this genetic engineering course, we are involving ourselves in something that we have little knowledge about. But, rightly or wrongly, this progression is inevitable. We already practice such procedures with plants and animals. Those procedures will creep into human reproduction, driven by the attractiveness of the benefits attainable:

• Helping us to stay healthy and live longer.
• Helping us to look after our environment more.
• Helping us to better resource the world and thereby eliminate poverty.

Genetic engineering offers the attainment of great ideals and alluring ambitions. We will undoubtedly be drawn towards it. Why would we want to miss out on opportunities that could better our futures?

Yes, we may concern ourselves with the bank’s investment policies, its ownership and management, and its authority and control within society, but when faced with an existentialist proposition, we may have no alternative but to embark on this action.

Given that a Genetic Bank would save every aspect of our human life form, it would have substantial appeal. It would be a means of safeguarding our future. It will look to – wherever possible – invest in our human entity to make us better suited to the environmental challenges we face.

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