© Getty
Aryan race determination tests under Nazi Germany
Race selection is not a new concept. 2,500 years ago, Plato was already advocating for selective breeding[1]. One of the legacies of Darwin's erroneous theory was the re-emergence of eugenics in the late 19
th Century[2]. By the beginning of the 20
th century, eugenics policies were widely applied in the USA, Japan, several European countries, and, of course, Nazi Germany, whose eugenics programs were inspired by the eugenics policies pursued in the USA [3]
Generally these policies consisted in sterilizing "unfit" individuals including representatives of "inferior races" and stimulating the reproduction of "fit" individuals, including representatives of "superior races".
But the revelations about the atrocities committed by the Nazis during WW2 didn't stop eugenics programs. Documented forced sterilization was still practiced during the 21
st century in places like California [4], Spain [5] and Peru [6].
However, there is one
fundamental difference between the Nazis and modern-day supporters of eugenics: the advent of genomics in general and gene editing [7] in particular. Today, scientists know how to modify the human genome and switch genes, favor certain traits and inhibit others. Current technology allows one full human genome to be sequenced in 30 minutes [8] and to create entire genetic sequences.[9]
In certain scientific circles, the ideological drive to create a "better" race is still strong. For example, eugenics is publicly advocated by Johns Hopkins University professor [10] and advisor [11] of METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence), Nathaniel C. Comfort:
"the eugenic impulse drives us to eliminate disease, live longer and healthier, with greater intelligence, and a better adjustment to the conditions of society; and the health benefits, the intellectual thrill and the profits of genetic bio-medicine are too great for us to do otherwise" [12]
Incidentally, this is the same Johns Hopkins University which, through its Coronavirus Research Center, tracks cases of COVID-19 worldwide and feeds the media and governments with their data.[13]
Comment: Australia's goal of zero infections: An exercise in how to sacrifice all for 'nothing'.