Rich people who have their children genetically altered to become intellectually and physically superior will create a race of "superhumans" that will one day eliminate homo sapiens, claims the late theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.
In a collection of essays, Hawking voiced his fear a new race of superhumans might develop from wealthy people choosing to edit their and their children's DNA. This new race could destroy the rest of humanity, warned Hawking.
The essays were written in preparation for a book to be published today. Hawking died peacefully last March 14 at the age of 76 at his home in Cambridge, England.
Some people won't be able to resist the temptation to improve human characteristics using genetic engineering, wrote Hawking. He was referring to wealthy people choosing to edit their DNA.
Hawking said that once such superhumans appear, "there are going to be significant political problems with the 'unimproved humans,' who won't be able to compete."
These "unimproved humans" will likely become extinct or become unimportant. The net result of this clash between genetically modified humans and unimproved humans will be the creation of a race of self-designing beings who can improve at an ever-increasing rate.
He said genetic changes will, at first, be confined to the repair of genetic defects such as cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy. These defects are controlled by single genes and are fairly easy to identify and correct.
But other qualities such as intelligence might be subjected to DNA tinkering. But because intelligence and other superior human qualities are controlled by a large number of genes, it will be much more difficult to find them and work out the relations between them. But technology will eventually find a way.
Hawking said he is sure that during this century, scientists will discover how to modify both intelligence and instincts such as aggression.
Hawking pointed out there is no time to wait for Darwinian evolution to make us more intelligent and better natured. He noted that humanity is now entering a new phase of what he called "self-designed evolution."
This new evolution will see people able to change and improve their DNA. He said science has now mapped DNA, which means we have read "the book of life", so we can start writing in corrections.
Hawking predicts the rise of a race of "self-designing beings" that can improve themselves at an ever-increasing rate. If the human race manages to redesign itself, it will probably spread out and colonize other planets and stars, he wrote.
But one horrific end result of genetic editing could be to create a new species that might destroy the rest of humanity. Not even laws seeking to prevent this catastrophe will have any effect.
Hawking said laws will probably be passed prohibiting the genetic engineering of humans. Some people, however, won't be able to resist the temptation to improve their characteristics such as longevity, memory, and resistance to disease.
