10 Common Misconceptions About Science In Film And TV That Bug Real Scientists

Far too often do we see stories flaunting the idea that in the not too distant future, and generally based on technologies we have today, genetic engineering will be advanced enough to create so-called “designer babies”.

These are repeatedly described as individuals with the traits deemed perfect by modern standards: usually high intelligence, tall stature, and athletic. Once “perfected”, they then begin to replace ordinary folk in the job market, making them obsolete (think the movie GATTACA).

This grievance expressed by scientists could however fall within what you may consider “near future”, as it is entirely possible that this could become the case in a few centuries.

Unfortunately, with the current understanding of genetics and methods available, it is highly unlikely that this will arise within the lifetimes of anyone reading this, unless a miracle takes place in the upcoming decades.

A large contributor to this misconception is how people see these traits, such as height. Schools often teach that there is one gene for tallness and one for shortness. If this were true, then of course we could eventually become a race of super tall beings.

Regrettably, the reality is that there are 1000s of genes that contribute to an individual’s height, each with a very small contribution (think half a millimetre per gene or less in some cases).

Current methods (yes, including CRISPR) cannot feasibly edit genes to give a desired effect for just this one trait, never mind the many others.