Dr. David Brin is a scientist, inventor, and New York Times bestselling author. With degrees from Caltech and the University of California-San Diego, Dr. Brin serves on advisory panels ranging from NASA’s Innovative & Advanced Concepts program to others dealing with artificial intelligence, nanotech, SETI, and national defense.
Dr. David Brin, PhD, scientist and futurist, gave the Keynote to the public for the Genome Writers Guild 2017 inaugural conference. Titled "Hard Choices in Human Genetic Engineering", Dr. Brin reminded us that since ancient times one dream has always seemed fraught with danger yet ripe with hopeful opportunities — the possibility of remaking ourselves.
In olden days this meant intervention by the gods, but now the tools appear to be in our hands. To alter our crops and farm animals. To “uplift” other species to sapience. To raise ourselves higher through “augmentation.” And yet, each advance in biology and cognition seems to make the path ahead murkier – more complex. Scientist and science fiction author David Brin explored this territory, offering perspectives on some of the decisions we’ll face, racing ahead through a minefield of dangers and opportunities
Listen to his 60-minute talk that inspired, amused, and challenged the audience to consider the future of genome engineering.
Written by Lynn Fellman