Deep Space Wandering Fleet

Chapter 149: Chapter 150 Human Past

In the midst of this clamor, another biologist, Professor Wei Jiahui, presented his proposal, “The Human Genetic Modification Bill!”

Human technology had no way to further develop; there were many factors, and not just the legendary “Limit of Knowledge Desert” hypothesis. Actually, there was an even bigger reason: humans… were too stupid!

The intelligence of an ordinary person was limited; learning even the basics of calculus was pushing their limits. Asking them to learn anything more difficult and they would start to struggle. Yet calculus is just a basic tool for exploring nature, no different from 1+1 in a scientist’s eyes.

Limited by their intelligence, human memory was limited, as was their capacity to learn.

Modern disciplines had become extremely specialized, and even a genius like Zhang Yuan was unable to switch from space machinery to biological research on a whim.

Yet relying on just a few top geniuses was no longer enough to drive the development of an entire civilization.

“Therefore, by means of gene editing, we can comprehensively enhance the intelligence level of the next generation of humans, and cultivate many more geniuses!”

“If it could be combined with a societal foster system, there is no doubt it would be a great endeavor!”

“Can you imagine a world where geniuses are mass-produced?”

This proposal…

Zhang Yuan furrowed his brow; he didn’t know how to evaluate it. Perhaps it was because of the overload from the meeting, but he felt somewhat numb.

After a while, someone stood up to question, “But Mr. Wei, how can this be achieved? Everyone wants higher intelligence, and there is no mistake on that point… but…”

“Does it necessitate conducting trial after trial on human subjects? As a biology Ph.D., I have the right to refuse such cruel and inhumane biological experimentation.”

The audience no longer wanted to discuss the “societal foster” system; gene editing undoubtedly touched the scientific bottom line.

If gene editing made mistakes, resulting in mutations, what should be done then?

Dispose of the entire person?

A biologist raised a hand to speak: “Professor Wei, our understanding of genes is not yet thorough. There are thousands of genes related to intelligence, and if each gene has 2 alleles, then the number of combinations is 2 to the power of a thousand!”

“This number far exceeds the total number of atoms in the universe!”

“How can you decipher the optimal combination of intelligence-associated genes? Even the fastest computer could not complete such a task.”

This was a nearly unsolvable problem; even if the genetic data of all humanity was analyzed, compared to 2 to the power of a thousand, it was merely a drop in the ocean.

Moreover, a gene’s varieties are not limited to two, take for instance the blood type gene; besides the ABO blood types, humans have various other blood types such as Rh, MN, and Xg.

Is blood type related to intelligence?

Of course it is! Even if there is no direct connection, there is certainly an indirect relationship.

Furthermore, humans have 46 pairs of chromosomes, with genes also coming in pairs. Thus, the combination of genes related to intelligence can only be substantially greater than 2 to the power of a thousand!

However, what came next was unexpected. Professor Wei fell silent for a while, then transmitted a document to a large screen, “Please do not worry about this point; we have already found several relatively favorable gene combinations.”

Wow!

It was a bombshell!

The venue was thrown into chaos once again.

Zhang Yuan, watching the various data on the screen, felt his heartbeat accelerate rapidly; this seemed… related to the sudden enhancement of his own intelligence.

The pursuit of intelligence by humans had existed since ancient times, using intelligence for societal leaps, dubbed the most “stable” and “convincing” method for social advancement.

Especially during that energy-depleted Gray Era when oil was exhausted and the hope for nuclear fusion remained unreached, a huge survival crisis led to the outbreak of two world wars!

People yearned… for the appearance of scientific giants.

Under such circumstances, the human genetic engineering project finally broke traditional taboos and took place in secret.

The first genetic engineering project was named “HIA gene sequence”, a set of gene sequences that were devised by studying inbreeding populations—they increase the probability of both mental disabilities and geniuses.

There’s a small chance of giving birth to a genius, but a much higher chance of producing a group of individuals with low Intelligence.

Why this is the case is hard for scientists to explain, as the genetic code has not yet been cracked—anything could happen.

In short, the “HIA gene sequence” would drive human Intelligence towards extremes.

The second gene sequence was known as the “BIA gene sequence”.

It was identified by studying populations with high Intelligence. However, due to the complex nature of the genes in highly intelligent people, no specific converging combination could be found. Therefore, this gene sequence was very erratic, sometimes working and sometimes not.

Overall, children born utilizing the “BIA gene sequence” could have their Intelligence increased by about 6%-10% compared to the average level. This was relatively safe and usually wouldn’t result in mental deficiencies.

If it could really be used on a large scale, a 6%-10% increase would be a remarkable figure!

The third genetic engineering project was called the “Anti-Eyed People” project.

This project attempted to rectify the human retina, which is inverted, to directly free up brain processing power.

Human eyes are elaborately constructed but far from perfect, primarily because the retina has numerous defects.

The human retina is inverted, with only a loose connection between the top of the photoreceptor cells and the layer of pigment cells, making it extremely prone to detachment.

Objects are imaged on the retina just like images formed by a pinhole camera, upside down. It is only through brain processing that we perceive the world as upright.

This rubbish retinal structure not only makes eyes extremely fragile, but it also consumes a large amount of the brain’s computational power to restore visual images.

The crazy scientists back then had a hypothesis that by borrowing certain eye genes from octopuses to “right” the human retina, all problems would be resolved. Perhaps, by freeing up this part of the brain’s computing power, humans could become even smarter.

Of course, back then, human understanding of genes was still very naive, and any change in genes could trigger a series of chain reactions.

There were successes and failures in the three projects.

“HIA gene sequence” brought rich results!

The birth of giant figures in science directly propelled the entire era.

“BIA gene sequence” was only useful in large numbers. Even in times of war, the relevant departments dared not clone people on a large scale.

But the “Anti-Eyed People” project did not succeed. Alas, the brain was unable to recognize the biological signals from the new eyes. These unfortunate “experimental products” became blind and lived their entire lives in darkness…

The brief records in the data were insufficient to describe what exactly happened back then, yet one could vaguely imagine it.

A storm of shock and horror surged through Zhang Yuan’s heart!

Cold sweat emerged drop by drop on his back, soaking through his entire clothes…

Even he could not accept such occurrences, yet they had already happened in history…

Even his own blood might carry the “HIA gene sequence”!

It was simply unimaginable.

He sighed deeply.

Humans have never been a species of high moral standing, never.

What does it all matter when a real survival crisis emerges?