What is the most important engineering problem of our future?

[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by mechanicalbrain

I think the most important issue currently is within us. I'm talking about our genetics. Normally in the wild animals with physical or mental disabilities die off but since we have removed much of the limiting factors of our species undesirable genetic material. One very apparent aspect is obesity. I have a friend who eats very healthily and exercises but can't drop his weight below 200 pounds. He is not the only person i know who suffers from this problem. This is why i think that their should be a stress on genetic research. I hear lots of people talk about their fear of super humans but i think that without genetic research we end up crippling our selves. I still agree that research should be strictly monitored to avoid abuse though.

It's called eugenics. Google it and look it up on Wiki. It's been historically unpopular because it would pretty much end up treating people as a collection of desirable and undesirable traits. More or less slapping a great big number on your forehead rating you for all of time and telling you how worthy you are of having kids.

See also Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and the movie Gattaca.