From a wired news article on Biodesign.
Science: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency – DAPRA, has recently announced a new project, BioDesign, in which they are creating “synthetic organisms” that can “ultimately be programmed to live indefinitely.”
Their budget for this year allocates $6 Billion towards this project, as well at pushing $20 Billion into a synthetic biology program, and $7.5 billion into “increasing by several decades the speed with which we sequence, analyze and functionally edit cellular genomes.” The BioDesign project will include DNA loyalty rights, a traceable DNA “serial number”, and of course, the all to cliché genetic killswitch.
This “BioDesign” project is mean to extend life at the cellular level, to create a being that is essentially immortal and perfect in everyway. The idea is to bypass nature and “the randomness of natural evolutionary advancement” and get straight to the super-being. Since this project is obvious owned, funded, and controlled by the U.S. Government we can quite assuredly equate this project to a military point of view and assume it will be our next frontline warrior.
Fiction: Many of our Sci-Fi films, ranging from Blade Runner to The Island, have depicted genetically altered or even cloned humans. The general idea usually stems from the government, or power hungry mad scientists, needing clones for armies or body parts, or simply just to create a super race of humans – Judge Dread. A few of these glorious movie’s also include the kill switch function, because you’ve got to. I mean really, what good is a super human created to be genetically perfect if you risk it turning against you?
Theory: Assuming this whole project remains active, even through the swarms of protestors, religious fanatics, human rights groups, PETA, etc… let’s jump forward to when this is complete. Since we (humanity) are obviously NOT perfect, we can ascertain that we are incapable of producing perfection. Therefore any attempt will largely end in a failure of some degree. Now a Genetically designed, immortal, perfect bred of a super being would have to be designed to over-come our inherent weaknesses. Knowing the vanity of humans, it would, in the final achievement, look rather human (this after the several beasts and animals created first). This human would have to be free of pain, fatigue, and hunger. Plants can create their own food using sunlight, why can’t we? Since this being will be created for war, it would need a certain level of anger and violent tendencies. After all, we can’t have Ghandi running into battle our enemies. Delving into our Sci-Fi world a little I want to pull out 2 possible candidates for this super being, Vampires and Zombies.
Vampires: Genetically superior in everyway to our current stock of human traits. They can be shot at, stabbed beaten, and killed over and over and still come back for more. Vampires usually have increased speed and overpowering strength, and do live seemingly forever. A recent news article I read about an athlete trying to improve his running speed, noted that the human body is capable of reaching speeds of up to 40mph, only problem is that the limits are set by the contractile speed limits of the muscle fibers themselves. Alter those a little and BAM, we can now run 40mph. The biggest flaw with vampires in the general idea that they are unable to venture into sunlight, unless of course your a daywalker. They also must sustain themselves on blood. In some cases vampires don’t seem to NEED the blood to live, but will dwindle in power until the blood is obtained. In a war though, there is always plenty of blood around to consume and maintain an army of vampires to thwart our enemies. Add a kill switch and you have yourself one hell of a formidable, and forcibly loyal, soldier.
Zombies: Now here’s where the whole aspect of imperfection creating imperfection comes from. Our more traditional zombies are slow clunky and overwhelming stupid. However in more recent sightings of zombies, we’ve come to learn that they can be quick menacing and at least some what intelligent. We have also come realize they are created by genetic manipulation aimed at creating superior beings. Sound familiar? DARPA may just be working on creating a super being by genetically altering them at birth, but what about the scientists that decide they now also want this genetic ability, or concerns about the time it takes to create the genetic being and raise them until ready for war? In order to overcome that hurdle, something must be created to alter beings already alive and able to take the alteration. Creating a virus mutation method would seemingly solve this problem. Both Zombies and Vampires are known to be able to “create” others of their bred by simply infecting them. Zombie, both tradition and modern, have an inherent ability to ignore all pain, including loss of limbs and sometimes the entire body, and continuing moving forward towards their goal. Imagine a herd of zombies attacking a city, creating new members of the army as quickly as their can taking over everything. Now THAT’S an army. But with a kill switch that army can be controlled and stopped when needed right?
Again, we’re imperfect creating imperfection as well as dabbling in areas we are not experts on, nature and it’s effects on genetics. After each bite that virus could mutate slightly, and in an effort to preserve itself, as all virus’s do, it may become immune or completely do away with, any and all kill switch abilities. Prepare yourself for the zombie apocalypse kids, grab your chainsaw, your lust for Twinkies, and always remember, double tap.
Are you prepared for the zombie invasion, or are you leaning more towards a society of night-dwellers? Leave your prediction, then secure your bunker because it’s going to be a long winter.
