Unnatural Selection: Genetic Engineering and the Human of the Future

When the world's first genetically modified humans - Chinese twins Lulu and Nana - were born in 2018, humanity was faced with possibilities that just recently seemed like science fiction. But along with this came new risks and questions. Can genetic engineering be used to prevent diseases? What about selecting the eye color or personality traits of future children? How far can we go in altering the genome? Reflecting on these questions, Swedish science journalist Torill Kornfeldt visited an IVF clinic in South Korea, an oncology hospital in China, a biohacker lab in the USA, and met with scientists, patients, public figures, and parents wanting to change their children's genes. In her book, Kornfeldt discusses the rapid development of genetic technologies currently taking place, the potential consequences of these processes, and the new ethical dilemmas humanity will inevitably face.