Table Of ContentADVANCE PRAISE FOR
Evolving Ourselves
“This book provokes terror and inspiration in equal measure. Terror because
humankind has become a potent evolutionary force affecting all life on the
planet, including itself. Inspiration because with awareness comes the capacity to
direct humanity’s—and the planet’s—evolutionary trajectory. Read this book
and you will never think the same way about evolution ever again.”
—Paul Saffo, technology forecaster
“Juan Enriquez and Steve Gullans convincingly argue that Darwin’s driving
force, natural selection, no longer holds true in a world where little remains
natural and free of the hand of man. Their book raises important questions that
we all should consider deeply as individuals, as nations, and as a global
community as we venture forth into this next phase of evolution.”
—Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D.; founding director, Wyss Institute for
Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University
“Science continues to accelerate, speeding past science fiction, and the public’s
understanding continues to lag. In Evolving Ourselves, Enriquez and Gullans
give us a whiplash-worthy account of the state of science in a fearless, balanced,
and thoughtful way. A must-read whether you’re contemplating why we’re here,
planning the future of your company, or wondering what your children’s world
will be like.”
—Joichi Ito, director, MIT Media Lab
“Thoughtful and thought-provoking, Evolving Ourselves is rich in the
fascinating details of how we work, how we got there, and how we are changing.
Enriquez and Gullans take us down a path of observations and logic that leads to
either your grandest hopes or your darkest nightmares. Fasten your seat belts—
this rocket is about to take off.”
—Martin Blaser, author of Missing Microbes
“Enriquez and Gullans take off all the blinders and explore the myriad,
astounding ways we humans are rapidly influencing and shaping, both
intentionally and not, our future selves. With mounting knowledge of what
makes our species tick, they describe how we’ll have the power to direct our
evolutionary path.”
—Linda Avey, cofounder, 23andMe
“A provocative and sobering vision of the evolutionary forces at work in our
modern post-Darwin world and the control that we humans exert over our
genetic destinies. Essential reading for anyone who retains hope that humanity,
through sheer application of ingenuity, will persevere, survive, and surmount the
inestimable challenges that lie ahead.”
—George Daley, M.D., Ph.D.; professor, Harvard Medical School
“Timely and exceptionally rich, this book is guaranteed to stimulate reflection on
what the new biology means for our species.”
—Dr. Erling Norrby, former permanent secretary, Royal Swedish Academy of
Sciences
“Enriquez and Gullans brilliantly describe a future of extreme possibility and
extreme responsibility. Thinking deeply about the implications of their work
improves our chances of creating a desirable version of that future.”
—Tim Brown, CEO, IDEO; author of Change by Design
“In a rapidly changing world, considerations of human evolution are rarely taken
into account as a critical factor that shapes the immediate future, but Enriquez
and Gullans will convince you otherwise. They will make you rethink what
constitutes a victory (antibiotics! air travel!) over our natural biological
constraints and its unintended consequences.”
—Hidde Ploegh, professor of biology, MIT; member, Whitehead Institute for
Biomedical Research
Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) LLC
375 Hudson Street
New York, New York 10014
USA | Canada | UK | Ireland | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa | China penguin.com
A Penguin Random House Company First published by Current, a member of Penguin Group (USA)
LLC, 2015
Copyright © 2015 by Juan Enriquez and Steven Gullans Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels
creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for
buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing,
scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and
allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.
ISBN 978-0-69817498-6
Version_1
Mary and Stenie,
Diana and Nico,
Graham, Emilie, Alexei, and Esme,
Our enduring love and extreme gratitude
CONTENTS
Advanced Praise for Evolving Ourselves
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
What Would Darwin Write Today?
SYMPTOMS OF REAL-TIME EVOLUTION
Is Autism a Harbinger of Our Changing Brains?
The DarWa Theory Revisited . . . and a Glimpse at a New
Theory
Twenty Generations to Domesticate Humans
Violence and the Lack Thereof
Allergies: Another Harbinger of Our Evolving Bodies?
Our Unnatural “All-Natural” World
Fat Humans, Fat Animals: Another Symptom?
Brave New Sex
HOW DOES EVOLUTION REALLY WORK NOW?
The Nature Versus Nurture Wars
Missing Heredity, Mysterious Toxins
Transgenerational Inheritance––aka “Voodoo Biology”
WWIV: Nuking Our Microbes
The “Yucky” Stuff Inside You
Autism Revisited: Three Potential Drivers
Viruses: The Roadrunners of Evolution
A Perfectly Modern Pregnancy
Bringing It All Together––DESTINY Is Propelling Evolution
A WORLD OF NONRANDOM MUTATION
Playing with the Building Blocks of Life
Humans Hijacking Viruses
Editing Life on a Grand Scale
Unnatural Acts, Designer Babies, and Sex 2.0
Boyden Brains
EVOLVING OURSELVES . . .
Better Living Through Chemistry?
Forever Young, Beautiful, and Fearless?
Unnatural Attraction
Sports Quandaries and Beyond . . .
Designer Organs and Cloned Humans
Evolving Brains Revisited
The Robot-Computer-Human Interface
Perhaps an Ethical Question or Two?
Technically Life, Technically Death
Trust Whom?
THE FUTURE OF LIFE
I Don’t Remember You . . . De-Extinction
Humanity’s Really Short Story
Evolving Hominins . . .
Synthetic Life
Humans and Hubris: Does Nature Win in the End?
Leaving Earth?
EPILOGUE
New Evolutionary Trees
Acknowledgments
Appendix: Darwin––True or False: Did He Get It Right?
Glossary
Notes
Index
Description:“We are the primary drivers of change. We will directly and indirectly determine what lives, what dies, where, and when. We are in a different phase of evolution; the future of life is now in our hands.”Why are rates of conditions like autism, asthma, obesity, and allergies exploding at an unpre
