Brave New World and the Real World

Although the comfortable lifestyle Huxley envisioned in "Brave New World" seems far beyond a possibility, his vision of "chemically driven paradise-engineering" is becoming reality. In the era ofpost genomic medicine, which we live in, our DNA is likely to be spliced and edited multiple times in order for mankind to enjoy lifelong bliss. The conditioning which the citizens receive begins at the moment of conception (creation). From the very beginning a person is altered to be able to perform specific tasks and are not allowed any functions not deemed important for their jobs. An example of this conditioning is emerging very rapidly. Single celled organisms are being built from the most basic pieces in order to create cells that serve a specific purpose. Starting with a cell which the original DNA has been washed from, a large amount of nucleic acid bases, and an advanced computer capable of synthesizing an entire genome based on a template that can be modified a multitude of times with the click of a button, researchers are able to create life. Currently there is no guarantee whether the DNA sequence, (with modifications such as insertions and deletions), will be capable of creating a viable cell. Delete one gene and the cell dies, delete another and it lives is the current predicament. However, as time passes researchers will be able to create single celled organisms with all of the properties of life, but only contain enough genetic material to perform a certain task. Such tasks would include the building of enzymes, proteins, or other compounds. Eventually these cells could be used as a treatment for things like diabetes.