Get the latest tech news
2054, Part II: Next Big Thing
“If molecules really were the new microchips, the promise of remote gene editing was that the body could be manipulated to upgrade itself.” An exclusive excerpt from 2054: A Novel.
Their music had provided the soundtrack to some of the happiest moments of his life, walking across the floor of the Bellagio or the Venetian, his sunglasses from the poker table still shielding his eyes, the pockets of his bespoke suit bulging with that night’s winnings as he headed to the bar, where he half expected to meet Sammy Davis or Joey Bishop for a highball. Few could comprehend the implications: Governments would no longer need to roll out logistically complex and onerous vaccination campaigns to combat ever-quickening pandemic cycles and viral variants; advanced genetic therapies could be administered remotely, with far greater ease, by triggering the gene-altering properties of mRNA through wireless communication, the equivalent of sending a molecular-level software upgrade; and this was to say nothing of potential enhancements in human physiology and intelligence. China and the United States had forfeited their dominance with a near-world-ending conflict; Russia’s decline had continued post-Putin, and the eastern part of Siberia was in effect a Chinese colony; and his native Nigeria had developed with intent and impact internationally, often cooperating with Brazil.
Or read this on Wired