Future Tense Newsletter: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

As a millennial, I wholeheartedly embrace the idea of existential dread. But I do find the idea that we might be able to "future-proof" our species--by, say, genetically engineering a smarter human population--somewhat reassuring. Though, as any science-fiction story centered around the idea of creating a "better" human race can tell us, there are innumerable potential pitfalls. Phil Torres describes some of these radical, real-life plans intended to save humanity from future disaster--and their potential for unintended consequences. Elsewhere on Future Tense, we've been covering both public and private surveillance.