10 February 2016 - gene drive

Weapon of mass destruction #666, the first that promises to be as deadly as nuclear bombs at lower cost, is the gene drive. If you make a genetic modification to an organism that reproduces sexually, a gene drive can force your mod through a reproductive population. We had to spend hundreds of billions to make enough nukes to wipe out civilization, and now, at a fraction of the price, a few hundred well-engineered crop pests could collapse agriculture with the same effect. Finally, the stabilizing power of mutually assured destruction at a mass-market price—plus our downfall will be slower so we’ll have time to ponder our mistakes.