• Question: Will We ever be able to dictate what a baby looks like and change the way it looks while in the womb? (Yay, The Clash)

    Asked by willfreakinrogers to Nick on 12 Nov 2013.
    • Photo: Nick Groves-Kirkby

      Nick Groves-Kirkby answered on 12 Nov 2013:

      There has been some interesting research done about this in the past couple of years.

      It is now possible to test the genes of a baby by taking blood from its mother. It turns out the mother’s blood contains DNA from both mother and baby, and using clever maths we can work out which is which.

      In the old days, we used to have to test the baby’s genes by sticking a big needle into the womb, which wasn’t fun for anyone.

      For the moment, we’d only use this information to check for genetic diseases like Down Syndrome. But it would be possible to check things like a baby’s hair and eye colour, and make a guess about how it would look.

      We can’t change the way a baby looks while it is in the womb, and I think it’ll be a long time before we are able to. Even if we could, there would be lots of laws about what we would be allowed to change!

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