The dreams of the first self-sufficient Martian community have gained an unexpected ally: the American startup Nucleus Genomics has launched the Nucleus Embryo platform, which allows future parents to choose embryos based on dozens of indicators, from eye color to heart disease risk. The cost of “customization” is $5999 for the analysis of up to 20 embryos.
The service generates polygenic scores for 900+ diseases and more than 40 non-medical traits, including estimated height and longevity potential. A few hours after uploading the DNA samples, parents receive a “developmental map”, choose the best option, and only then is the embryo implanted using IVF.
Proponents of Mars colonization are already imagining how such instruments will become the standard for “pre-launch medical centers” on Earth: future settlers will be selected not only for their specialty and mental stability, but also for a reduced risk of cancer or osteoporosis, which is critical in the conditions of Martian radiation and low gravity. Theoretically, this makes it possible to form the first generation of colonists with the best chance of a healthy, long life in the harsh environment of the Red Planet.
However, experts warn that polygenic scores provide only probabilities, not guarantees, and the selection of “ideal” genes can lead to new ethical dilemmas, from modern eugenics to discrimination against those who do not pass the genetic “filter”. And so far, Nucleus offers only a digital tool; whether it will become a pass to a utopian society on Mars depends not only on science but also on our values.
Future colonists will have many experiences on Mars: from traveling through the 4,000-kilometer canyon of the Valles Marineris to climbing the 25-kilometer Olympus Mons. Read more in our article “The main tourist attractions of Mars: giant canyons, supervolcanoes, and the deepest waterfall”.
