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Emil Aschheim, MD, PhD
West Palm Beach, Fla

JAMA. 1992;267(5):653.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.

—Green and Waterston¹ justly emphasize the biological and medical benefits of the Human Genome Project. However, the significance of this project goes well beyond the cure or prevention of identifiable medical conditions.

This epochal project will locate and identify the genes that are responsible for all human characteristics, including those that are essential to the development of memory, intelligence, creativity, and awareness. Human awareness and cognition characterize our race prominently and uniquely; aren't they as likely to be gene dependent as is the number of cervical vertebrae or the color of the eyes?

The knowledge gained will mark the beginning of an era of unprecedented change, since national and individual interest will make human-directed evolution inevitable. The process is likely to go beyond the traditional goals of eugenics. Human variants genetically engineered to fit environments or tasks may not be unthinkable.

Who will share in the knowledge . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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