Jonathan Anomaly08 November 2025

What Embryo Selection Means for Humanity - Jonathan Anomaly - #1017

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Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Hot Take· 1

Hot Take105:30

Transparency Over Bans: How to Regulate This Technology

Instead of banning embryo selection, the guest advocates for transparency: companies should publish validation studies and ancestry-specific accuracy data so consumers can make informed decisions.

Regulation should focus on truth in advertising and scientific rigor.
Public access to validation studies prevents manipulation.
Future competition will improve scores and lower costs.
Open-source polygenic catalogs already exist but vary in quality.

“Governments should require companies to publish their validation studies... how much variation your predictors explain, and how they work across ancestry groups.”
guest · 106:00

#ethics#policy#transparency#genetics

Explainer· 6

Explainer00:30

Embryo Selection vs. Gene Editing: What's the Difference?

The guest clarifies that embryo selection does not involve altering genes, as many mistakenly believe. Instead, it uses existing genetic variation among embryos created during IVF to inform which one to implant, based on polygenic risk scores for traits like disease or intelligence.

Embryo selection reveals natural genetic variation, not engineered changes.
It is often confused with gene editing, which modifies DNA directly.
The process involves testing multiple embryos and choosing one based on genetic data.
No new genes are added or edited in embryo selection.

“We're just doing polygenic conditions. All we're doing is revealing more information about the natural genetic variation that exists in your embryos and letting you…”
guest · 01:00

#genetics#ivf#embryo-selection#gene-editing

Explainer02:00

How Embryo Selection Already Happens in IVF

Even without advanced genetic testing, IVF clinics currently select embryos based on morphology—how they look under a microscope. This basic method already involves making choices about which embryos appear healthier or more viable.

Doctors often choose embryos based on visual appearance and shape.
This method has limited correlation with long-term viability.
It represents a form of pre-selection, though less precise than genetic screening.
The difference now is adding more data via polygenic scoring.

“The usual technique for deciding which of these 10 embryos to implant is for a doctor to look them over and see which one looks…”
guest · 01:30

#ivf#embryo-selection#medical-practice

Explainer07:00

What Is Liberal Eugenics?

The guest introduces 'liberal eugenics' as a model where individuals make voluntary, informed choices about embryo selection—contrasting with coercive state-run eugenics. The focus is on personal autonomy rather than government control.

Liberal eugenics emphasizes individual choice, not state mandates.
It avoids historical abuses by rejecting coercion.
The goal is reducing disease risk, not enforcing hierarchies.
It aligns with medical ethics centered on patient autonomy.

“I think what people worry about is government control... This is why I don't worry about equality as much as individual choice and information.”
guest · 07:30

#eugenics#ethics#reproductive-choice

Explainer37:30

How We Know Polygenic Scores Actually Work

To validate polygenic risk scores, scientists use sibling studies—comparing DNA to real-world outcomes in adult siblings. If predictions match observed traits, the same model can be applied to embryos.

Scores are derived from large biobanks linking genomes to health data.
Validation uses within-family comparisons to ensure accuracy.
Predictions are tested across diverse ancestry groups.
Loss of accuracy in non-European groups is due to data imbalance, not flawed methods.

“If we can predict the differences in height between siblings right where we know their DNA, then we know that's also going to apply for…”
guest · 39:00

#genetics#research-methods#biobanks#polygenic-scores

Explainer75:30

The Nonidentity Problem in Embryo Selection

Selecting embryos doesn’t harm the ones not chosen—because they would never exist. Different choices create different people, so we can’t say someone was deprived of a better life.

Each reproductive act results in a unique individual.
Changing timing or method results in a different child.
Embryo selection replaces chance with informed choice.
We can aim for better outcomes without harming non-existent beings.

“You can't really say 'I wish my parents had done a different thing'—because what would have happened? You are who you are. It would have…”
guest · 77:30

#philosophy#ethics#personhood#reproductive-choice

Explainer69:30

Why Selecting Against One Disease Often Helps Others

Most genetic pleiotropy is positive—reducing risk for one condition (like depression) often reduces risks for others (like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder), due to shared genetic factors.

Genetic variants often influence multiple traits.
Negative pleiotropy is rare; most effects are beneficial or neutral.
The 'P factor' explains overlap in psychiatric disorders.
Intelligence correlates with better life outcomes across domains.

“We found the huge majority of pleiotropy is positive... Select against severe depression, you get less bipolar, less schizophrenia as a side effect.”
guest · 71:30

#genetics#mental-health#pleiotropy#intelligence

Q&A· 3

Q&A03:30

Why People Accept Screening for Disease but Not Intelligence

There's a cultural double standard where screening embryos for diseases like Crohn's is widely accepted, but selecting for higher intelligence is controversial. This distinction stems from post-WWII taboos around eugenics and moral judgments tied to mental traits.

70–75% of Americans support screening to avoid disease.
Only about 40% support screening for intelligence.
In countries like Singapore, support is equal for both uses.
Mental traits are seen as core to identity, making selection feel more ethically charged.

“People equally support screening against disease and screening in favor of psychiatric traits including intelligence... Those in Asia especially don't seem to draw this distinction.”
guest · 04:30

#ethics#intelligence#genetic-screening#cultural-differences

Q&A08:00

Will Embryo Selection Worsen Inequality?

While wealthier families may adopt this technology first, subsidizing it through insurance or public funding could increase access. However, forcing others to pay for technologies they morally oppose raises ethical concerns about compulsion versus choice.

Early access may favor the wealthy, increasing genetic disparities.
Subsidies could help, but require others to fund what they may reject.
Religious objections (e.g., to IVF) complicate redistribution debates.
Government involvement risks sliding toward coercive policies.

“The more you try to solve the gaps we get between people because of their choices, the more you're going to have to use governments…”
guest · 08:30

#inequality#ethics#health-policy#ivf

Q&A51:30

Could Parents Regret Their Embryo Choice?

Parents might feel guilt over selecting one embryo over another, especially if the child later faces health issues. But the guest argues this guilt is irrational—similar to refusing a vaccine just because earlier children didn’t have access.

Guilt stems from active decision-making in reproduction.
Analogous to medical advances: later kids benefit from new options.
Choosing not to use available information may be ethically questionable.
Trade-offs exist—e.g., lower diabetes risk vs. higher intelligence.

“Would you say I'm not going to vaccinate because I feel guilty giving this kid an advantage that the first one didn't? That would be…”
guest · 54:30

#ethics#parenting#regret#ivf