500 Years Into the Future: Human Genetics and the Colonization of Space
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- Create Date：2021-05-16 10:51:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Christopher E Mason
- ISBN：0262044404
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Summary
An argument that we have a moral duty to explore other planets and solar systems—because human life on Earth has an expiration date。
Inevitably， life on Earth will come to an end， whether by climate disaster， cataclysmic war， or the death of the sun in a few billion years。 To avoid extinction， we will have to find a new home planet， perhaps even a new solar system， to inhabit。 In this provocative and fascinating book， Christopher Mason argues that we have a moral duty to do just that。 As the only species aware that life on Earth has an expiration date， we have a responsibility to act as the shepherd of life-forms—not only for our species but for all species on which we depend and for those still to come （by accidental or designed evolution）。 Mason argues that the same capacity for ingenuity that has enabled us to build rockets and land on other planets can be applied to redesigning biology so that we can sustainably inhabit those planets。 And he lays out a 500-year plan for undertaking the massively ambitious project of reengineering human genetics for life on other worlds。
As they are today， our frail human bodies could never survive travel to another habitable planet。 Mason describes the toll that long-term space travel took on astronaut Scott Kelly， who returned from a year on the International Space Station with changes to his blood， bones， and genes。 Mason proposes a ten-phase， 500-year program that would engineer the genome so that humans can tolerate the extreme environments of outer space—with the ultimate goal of achieving human settlement of new solar systems。 He lays out a roadmap of which solar systems to visit first， and merges biotechnology， philosophy， and genetics to offer an unparalleled vision of the universe to come。
Inevitably， life on Earth will come to an end， whether by climate disaster， cataclysmic war， or the death of the sun in a few billion years。 To avoid extinction， we will have to find a new home planet， perhaps even a new solar system， to inhabit。 In this provocative and fascinating book， Christopher Mason argues that we have a moral duty to do just that。 As the only species aware that life on Earth has an expiration date， we have a responsibility to act as the shepherd of life-forms—not only for our species but for all species on which we depend and for those still to come （by accidental or designed evolution）。 Mason argues that the same capacity for ingenuity that has enabled us to build rockets and land on other planets can be applied to redesigning biology so that we can sustainably inhabit those planets。 And he lays out a 500-year plan for undertaking the massively ambitious project of reengineering human genetics for life on other worlds。
As they are today， our frail human bodies could never survive travel to another habitable planet。 Mason describes the toll that long-term space travel took on astronaut Scott Kelly， who returned from a year on the International Space Station with changes to his blood， bones， and genes。 Mason proposes a ten-phase， 500-year program that would engineer the genome so that humans can tolerate the extreme environments of outer space—with the ultimate goal of achieving human settlement of new solar systems。 He lays out a roadmap of which solar systems to visit first， and merges biotechnology， philosophy， and genetics to offer an unparalleled vision of the universe to come。
Reviews
WorldconReader
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I would like to thank the publisher （MIT Press） and author （Dr。 Christopher E。 Mason） for kindly providing an electronic review copy of this book。This was amazing！ "The Next 500 Years" by Christopher E。 Mason is one of the most ambitious and optimistic books I have read。 It is breathtaking in scope and long-term thinking。 Mason presents a detailed 500 year plan for humanity to apply science to save humanity and other local life from certain death as the solar system inevitably becomes uninhabita I would like to thank the publisher （MIT Press） and author （Dr。 Christopher E。 Mason） for kindly providing an electronic review copy of this book。This was amazing！ "The Next 500 Years" by Christopher E。 Mason is one of the most ambitious and optimistic books I have read。 It is breathtaking in scope and long-term thinking。 Mason presents a detailed 500 year plan for humanity to apply science to save humanity and other local life from certain death as the solar system inevitably becomes uninhabitable。 If this book had been written 30-40 years earlier， it could be written off as entertaining science fiction。 However， the advances made especially in the past 10 years or so in genetic engineering， understanding of the universe， and even space travel make this proposal optimistically reasonable。 In particular， it was fascinating to read about the development of new tools such as CRISPR which can modify DNA and cure genetic disorders， along with the exciting potentials。 It was informative to learn more than was printed in the news media about NASA's Twin Astronaut Study and how zero gravity affects humans。 And it was fun in general to learn about recent developments and near term plans in space exploration。Mason writes profound material that is consumable by the average person who is interested in these topics。 And he does so with a clear （and entertaining） sense of humor。 I applaud the philosophical and ethical arguments that humankind has a moral responsibility to act as a guardian for not only the human species， but nearly all self-aware life。 If humanity does not self-destruct， I am confident that we can develop the scientific and engineering abilities to realize Mason's 500 year plan。 My only concern is whether or not humanity can morally grow up quickly enough to take on the guardianship responsibilities that Mason proposes。 Though clearly a certain degree of optimism is required if we are to plan for and realize the future。 I recommend this book to readers interested in genetics， space exploration， ethics， and the future of humanity。 。。。more
Montzalee Wittmann
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The Next 500 YearsEngineering Life to Reach New Worldsby Christopher E。 MasonMIT PressThis book gives the reader an inside look in why we need to think ahead about moving beyond Earth and how to go about it。 All of which depends on science， lots and lots of science！ It starts with how the human body changes and it's need for protection in space。 It reviews the NASA Twin Study with the Kelly brothers which I found fascinating！ （I want to read more on them。） The book also discusses various ways to The Next 500 YearsEngineering Life to Reach New Worldsby Christopher E。 MasonMIT PressThis book gives the reader an inside look in why we need to think ahead about moving beyond Earth and how to go about it。 All of which depends on science， lots and lots of science！ It starts with how the human body changes and it's need for protection in space。 It reviews the NASA Twin Study with the Kelly brothers which I found fascinating！ （I want to read more on them。） The book also discusses various ways to protect with substances from water bears injected into cells。 The CRISPR projects and genome variations are also discussed in depth and in detail。 I have a health background and I had to look up a several things to refresh my memory！ The book gives an outline from fairly recent to far reaching goals for humans and animals to survive in the long run。 To do this it will need to be started now and biological or genome manipulation will probably be a matter of when and not if。 I found this book fascinating and informative but I wish it was slightly less scientific-speak so more people could enjoy it and learn from it。 A layman's term book would probably sell more too！I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read the book！ 。。。more
Katie
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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review。Whoah。 This book blew my mind。 The ideas within range from the very near and very real to the far-reaching and fiction-like。 The whole point of the book is to convince the reader that first， we should adapt humans and other earthlife for space colonization， and second， how that can be done。 I'm still not convinced by the deontogenic ethics the author uses to explain away all misgivings and snares Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review。Whoah。 This book blew my mind。 The ideas within range from the very near and very real to the far-reaching and fiction-like。 The whole point of the book is to convince the reader that first， we should adapt humans and other earthlife for space colonization， and second， how that can be done。 I'm still not convinced by the deontogenic ethics the author uses to explain away all misgivings and snares to the 500 year plan。 I have a lot of questions and criticisms with the statements made regarding the should do this of space colonization， but that didn't take away from the enjoyment of the book。 If anything， having this controversial subject rattling around my brain， producing different networks of thought， is fun。 Still， I'd be interested in a companion volume further proving the bandaid slap use of deontogenic ethics to trump all concerns listed in the book。 As to the how we're going to get into space and not die of radiation poisoning or lack of oxygen or alien viruses， etc。， that part was interesting。 I'm a trained biochemist， so my view is slanted。 I have background in the genetics discussed in the book， and I never felt confused。 However， there is often jargon or heavy-science topics that aren't explained， perhaps， to the extent a layperson might want。 Also， the book over simplifies the legal and societal implications of modifying humans。 Governments will probably not make it as easy to modify ourselves as is argued in the book。 At first， I found myself turned away by the heavy-handed use of deontogenic ethics that begins the book， and I'm still not convinced by the author。 Even with that， the book is a fascinating exploration of the long-routed possibilities of current science。 I'd recommend The Next 500 Years to anyone with a hard interest in the future of biological science。 。。。more
Sayani
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The Next 500 Years Engineering Life to Reach New WorldsBy Christopher E。 MasonSummary: This book is a comprehensive account of the latest cutting-edge bioengineering feats to conduct successful long-term space exploration and settlements written by a computational biologist and a geneticist who has worked on several NASA projects。 The author takes us on a journey spanning the next 500 years， diving the centuries in neat chronological chapters， and describing preliminary biotechnological aids for The Next 500 Years Engineering Life to Reach New WorldsBy Christopher E。 MasonSummary: This book is a comprehensive account of the latest cutting-edge bioengineering feats to conduct successful long-term space exploration and settlements written by a computational biologist and a geneticist who has worked on several NASA projects。 The author takes us on a journey spanning the next 500 years， diving the centuries in neat chronological chapters， and describing preliminary biotechnological aids for astronauts to planning long voyages to distant planetary systems and ultimate settlement of the human population。 Detail Review: Prof。 Mason introduces the reader with the argument that the human race is the only species equipped to prevent its extinction and transport lifeforms to other planets。 The Sun will run out of fuel eventually and consuming all organic life along with it。 As the sentient species acutely aware of its mortality， it makes us morally bound to use our ingenuity and creativity to prevent this。 This might be a little hard to comprehend since most humans have a myopic view of mortal life and interstellar travel to save our species doesn't have a place in our immediate priorities。 Here the readers have to bite the philosophical nugget of "deontogenic" ethics whose premise states that "existence precedes essence"。 For any sentient life to flourish and produce science， technology， and the arts it has to overcome the extinction threat， plunge into new worlds， and exist。 This section is a commendable exploration （and a treat for philosophy nerds） of the 'why' in space exploration and why investments must continue despite our planet ridden with existing perils of pandemics， climate change， overpopulation， etc。 In the next couple of chapters， we see the present advancements in human genome sequencing and the vast collection of genome sequences of all complex life systems on Earth which is the first step in molecular and genetic intervention required in future space missions。 We are introduced to Captain Scott Kelly， the astronaut who completed the longest NASA mission in space and was a part of NASA Twins Study。 The study compared his genetic， physiological， molecular， and epigenetic changes with his twin brother back on Earth。 To everyone's surprise， Scott's immune system after coming back to Earth surpassed all levels。 His immune system was on an overdrive only seen in patients with compromised immune systems。 Not only this but his gene expression profile showed significant changes resulting from space radiation。 This adds to the list of problems our astronauts going to Mars or Titan will face when their DNA changes with space travel。 I read this fascinating detail that breathing in zero gravity isn't the same as back on Earth。 Tiny clouds of carbon dioxide form in front of your mouth when you exhale。 Such observations currently show how the human body is affected by space travel and that we have so much to learn before we embark on audacious space voyages。 Now we enter the exciting history and potential of CRISPR methods in gene editing and gene therapy。 The next few decades will see advances in using these methods in tweaking genetic framework to combat and endure long-term space travel， radiation damage， and improve human physiological responses。 Here the author deftly portrays that despite the exhilarating present advances， it will be a long journey until we successfully move from animal studies to 'CRISPR-ing' mutations out in human trials。 But the clues to clever genome manipulation are present in nature itself。 For years scientists have looked towards various organisms to incorporate their advantageous traits and manipulate them for human usage。 For example， tardigrades， also called water bears （they look delightful under powerful microscopes） express an interesting protein called Dsup which protects their DNA。 Work from the author's own lab showed that incorporation of this Dsup leads to 80% increase in reducing DNA damage。 Such gene modification techniques will be crucial in protecting future space travellers in the next 100 years。 This section is the most challenging in the whole book as it deals with in-depth molecular and cellular biology concepts。 In the future when Mars has permanent human settlements and genetic manipulation becomes commonplace （even recreational like ordering your choice of genes from a bar）， organisms might even comprise of hybrid cells moving to the next phase which the author calls 'cellular liberty'。 I would be remiss if I don't talk about my favourite example from this later half of the book。 A green sea-slug called Elysia chlorotica eats chloroplast-containing algae （using molecular straws of course！） and becomes plantlike。 Maybe future humans will have self-sufficient food-producing green tissues incorporated in them and cross another milestone in directed evolution。 Who said green Martians are just stuff of science fiction？ Equipped with such advanced bioengineering technologies the author postulates that by 2351 we will be on the precipice of launching generation ships to candidate planets in different solar systems。 The final phase of the sustainable existence of humans anywhere in the universe will encompass hybrid organismal systems （both human and non-human） evolving along with side physical and geochemical characteristics of other planets and satellites。 This work is a must-have for anyone interested in the latest space sciences。 I was left wanting a bit more about the studies on human psychology during space travel， the effect on our cognitive abilities， sleep cycle， and circadian rhythms。 But this is me being an ardent fan of Philip K。 Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep？" Nevertheless， it provides an excellent collection and roadmap of everything we need to chart outer planets。 Who will love this book: The book leaves us with glimpses of worlds imagined in the works by Kim Stanley Robinson and Neal Stephenson， fictional， and yet after reading this book don't look so far-fetched at all。 A delight for space enthusiasts， astronauts， physicists， geologists， biologists， science nerds， speculative fiction readers， and all science fiction readers。 The book does require a medium-paced reading as it is packed with findings and might require trips to browsers for more detailed explanations about genetic engineering topics。 。。。more
Amit Verma
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