We Have the Whole World in Our Hands

The ability to understand our environment, ourselves, and to be creative flows from the capacity of the human brain encoded in our DNA. It is remarkable that the universe and our planet, by providing the chemical building blocks of DNA, could then ultimately be perceived by us. In this chapter, I wanted to illustrate the paradoxes of humanity and consider our inherent capacities with all that has been achieved scientifically, and to an extent socially. Progress and prospects in combating climate change, and the DNA connection are considered. Contemporary attitudes are influenced by science skepticism by some groups; climate change and vaccination are illustrations of this. Human aggression and warfare in relation to the human species are commented on, including reference to a real-time study of tribal conflict and peace in Papua New Guinea. Gene sequencing in diagnostic medicine and AI for genomic analysis have important implications for the future. The scandal of gene editing of human embryos is illustrative of the need for regulation and close monitoring of gene therapy. Human fertility is considered by some as a significant future issue. Can the “super species” use DNA biology and technology wisely?