Lectures on Tap - Eugenics: The Past, Present & Future of Genetic Selection

📍 Location: Exact address given in confirmation email

🧠 Lecture: "Eugenics: The Past, Present & Future of Genetic Selection"

🎙️ Speaker: Biologist, Dr. Carlo G. Quintanilla

Global concern about the return of eugenic thinking resurfaced after He Jiankui’s 2018 announcement of the first gene‑edited babies, revealing how quickly modern genetics can revive old ambitions. As reproductive and genetic technologies accelerate, we now face urgent questions about selecting traits, shaping future generations, and whether gene‑edited babies as a norm is inevitable.

Dr. Carlo G. Quintanilla, a molecular biologist and Science Policy Analyst at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, will trace the history of eugenics, the rise of modern genetic screening and editing tools, and the promises and risks they pose for human health. He will delve into today’s most controversial uses of genetic technology—from embryo selection for complex traits to emerging consumer‑genomics services—and the debate over what should count as eugenics in the 21st century.

The evening will conclude with a discussion on the social, political, and regulatory forces that will determine whether these technologies are constrained or accelerate toward a new era of genetic selection.

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