2014: One step closer to genetically engineered athletes

In the 2013 term, the United States Supreme Court held that a private company could not patent human genes.

But the Court left room for future patents in the area of genetics. A patent may be granted for “new and useful…composition of matter” as opposed to matter that is from “naturally occurring phenomena”. The possibility exists for an entity to make a new and useful composition of matter through isolating DNA.

Dare we apply that technology to making a brand of super athletes? Are we at the point where genetics and imagination and legal leeway to create gladiators in future generations?

Read the full, original story: 2014 Is a Step Closer to Genetically Engineered Athletes

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Additional Resources:

• Talent Lies Within. But Where? ‘The Sports Gene’ Considers the Root of Athletic Success, New York Times
• SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT ATHLETE, New Yorker