Genetic enhancement of humans in order to establish offworld colonies

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Kelly C Smith asked:

Obviously, there are lots of stories about genetic enhancement and colonization in isolation, but I am interested in works that explore situations where the genetic enhancements are designed specifically for colonization. For example, human colonists might be altered to be able to survive in low oxygen environments or to consume significantly less food. One idea I am toying with is that this tends to break down the standard distinction in the ethics literature between genetic enhancement and genetic therapy. Often people will say therapy to “fix a defect” is fine (presumably because it’s necessary for basic living), but that enhancement to give people new capacities is not (presumably because it’s not necessary to live a decent life). But if we accept the need for a colony on a hostile world, then engineering in new human capacities might be necessary for even basic life in that context.

Philip Shane (host of the podcast, What The IF?) answered:

Hi Kelly, Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy (Red, Green, Blue…) involves people being given enhanced life spans so they can work on the long project of terraforming Mars, and he contrasts the native Earthlings with those who are born on Mars. The native Martians (descended from the original Earth expats) find themselves growing taller and thinner, and able to breathe thinner air (if I remember correctly), and they do a lot of work to live within the natural Mars environment instead of in manufactured domed cities.

Philip Shane answered:

Also, Alastair Reynold’s “Blue Remembered Earth” series involves modifications of humans into all kinds of amazing things, like merging with elephants, and being modified to be able to live in the ocean like fish or whales. Really great stuff.

HanakoGal answered:

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi and the sequels talks about humans altered to live in the wider galaxy. More specifically to make soldiers up to galactic standards.

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