The dream of augmented humans endures, despite skepticism

PARIS - Brain implants, longer lives, genetically modified humans: For the prophets of "transhumanism" -- the scientifically assisted evolution of humans beyond our current limitations -- it is just a matter of time. But many scientists insist that some problems are not so easily solved. Sooner or later, they argue, the movement that crystallized in the can-do culture of 1980s California will hit the brick wall of the scientifically impossible. The most recent controversy was in November, when Chinese scientist He Jiankui claimed to have created the world's first genetically edited babies, who he said were HIV-resistant. The backlash from the scientific community led to his work being suspended, as questions were raised not just about the quality of the science, but the ethics of the research.