Company's Activities - Preventive, backed by Sam Altman's family office and Coinbase co-founder Brian Armstrong, is conducting pre-clinical research to create a baby from a genetically engineered embryo to prevent hereditary diseases [3] - Preventive is searching for locations outside the US, including the UAE, to conduct embryo editing research, as it is banned in the US for reproductive purposes [2][10] - The company claims to be focused on preclinical research, proving the safety of embryo editing, transparency, and high ethical standards [14][15] Ethical and Regulatory Concerns - Editing genes in embryos to create babies is banned in the United States [2][9] - Concerns exist about where to draw the line between preventing hereditary diseases and selecting for traits like long legs, large breasts, blue eyes, and high intelligence [6] - Scientists have issued calls for a moratorium on embryo editing, suggesting the technology is not ready [10] - The industry is being compared to the "move fast and break things" mentality of Silicon Valley, raising concerns about ethics and regulation [8][19] Potential Risks and Implications - There are concerns about what happens if the genetic information is wrong or if something goes wrong with a genetically modified embryo [8] - The possibility of "designer babies" raises ethical questions reminiscent of dystopian science fiction scenarios [11][12][13] - Polygenic screening companies are already offering insights into potential child's IQ, height, eye color, allowing parents to choose embryos based on this information [7]