[Poll] Is It Tomorrow Yet?

[thefourthvine]

I have been watching All Things Kirk and Spock lately, including some of the original-cast movies. Which means that recently I saw The Wrath of Khan. Now, I've talked before about my history with the pivotal scene in that movie, but to summarize: first time I saw it, in Killa's vid Dante's Prayer, Best Beloved had to narrate the whole thing for me so I knew what was going on, and I didn't get why she was teary. Later, after I came to know Spock through fan fiction, I was the one getting teary. This time? Watching it in the actual movie? COMPLETE MELTDOWN. I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed, and I knew what was coming. But - SPOCK. SPOCK! And then Kirk loses it in an elevator. Oh my GOD.

But that is not my point. (I just can't talk about anything without talking about Spock these days.) My point is that I realized, watching that movie, that it seemed totally reasonable to the makers of it that by 1996 we would have:

• Genetic engineering of complex traits in humans
  
• Long-term cryogenics from which you could reliably be, you know, unfrozen
  
• Prolonged deep space trips featuring (frozen) humans

Those of you who remember 1996 (and if you do, think on this: there are now teenagers whose excuse for not remembering 1996 is that they weren't born yet) will probably also recall that we did not have any of those things then. And, in fact, we don't have them now. And it's not like we're expecting them next year, either.

This, taken in conjunction with a recent post on my friends list, made me think about the future. Are we in it?

(For extra credit, please list your favorite Signs of the Future (either realized or not) in the comments.)

[Poll #1508335]

Comments

[the-moonmoth.livejournal.com]

There's a particular genetic trait in my family that has been very destructive and unpleasant. I remember thinking as a kid, 'at least when I'm old enough to have children I'll be able to select that gene out.' I'm now in my mid-twenties and not only have they not developed that kind of Gattaca technology yet, they haven't even identified the gene/gene group that causes the trait. So all in all, I'd have to go with Not The Future. Yet.

[paxluvfelicitas.livejournal.com]

Your hypothetical offspring might still be SOL, but people with genetic diseases that have identified, single-gene causes are definitely within a reproductive lifespan of an easy fix. Google "zinc fingers" - they're a new way of tagging very, very, very specific locations for DNA cleavage, so that you can yank "bad" alleles and copy in "good" ones relatively easily. In about 20 years or so, we're gonna be able to take IVF embryos, alter them, and implant them. And it's gonna work. Whether we will actually be doing that is a whole 'nother question, but the tech is definitely there.

We probably won't be able to order up enchilada babies, though, just because most of the stuff people want to select for - height, weight, eye color, hair color, intelligence, athletic ability, etc. - involves waaaay more than one gene and is not well understood anyway.

[thefourthvine.livejournal.com]

Yeesh. My sympathies. There's still some time, though! (I mean, unless you are planning on starting your family this year, in which case, not so much.) I hold out hope that your future will arrive soon.