The Human Body: How We Lost Humanity
[TF, Various TFs (Body Part, Anthro) [Sci-Fi]

Excerpt from collegiate level study material, “The Human Body: How We Lost Humanity” written in 2076 by Dr. Daniel Jackle and Dr. David Hite to document the progression of genetic research from mapping into designer bodies. Jackle/Hite’s work brought the wide range of information on the subject into one collected corpus, and was largely accepted as a definitive history for many years.

Chapter 7: The Development and Initial Impacts of Genetic Modification

The history of genetic splicing is far more complicated than most people are aware of. It would be foolish to assume that the first discoverers of genetic splicing had intended more noble uses for it. The paper, “Applied Mechanisms of Rapid Genetic Incorporation in Homo sapiens for Accelerated Immunity and Immune Response” is the first example of this motive. In trying to allow humans to accept foreign genetic code to allow for disease prevention and ultimately eradication, they attracted to the attention of multiple government organizations worldwide. The prospect of having a workforce that never got sick was enticing, but before further research could continue, the project and all it’s materials were bought out.

Around this time, major publications and journals ceased including genetic therapy research papers, instead only showcasing the more traditional genetic mapping and diagnosis that had been taking place decades prior, and progress seemed to cease on the entire field of research.

It was in 2029 when humanity learned that not only had progress never ceased, it had leapt ahead. In the interim 10 years, human trials had covertly been approved and methods were sought to create genetic soldiers that would be superior to humans in every way.

What came to follow has since been called The Genetic War, and many texts cover that in sufficient detail. The relevant matter is that the public, in a very sudden and rushed manner, learned of the existence of enhanced humans.

The cat out of the proverbial bag, so to speak, governments quickly attempted to rule all genetic modification of living humans, consenting or otherwise, illegal. Safe havens, however, quickly sprouted up in countries that were more to provide funding to genetic research than their more advanced neighbors, and before too long, most major genetic researchers had uprooted their lives and shifted to these smaller, less technologically developed countries.

Major investors saw a rising opportunity in the marketability of commercially available genetic modifications, and began funding production and distribution chains in these same countries. The new influx of jobs stimulated the economy in these smaller nations, and by the time major countries had retracted their ban on the practice of human modification, the damage was done, and a full economic shift was underway. These same smaller countries had become synonymous with GenForward, the first market dominating company that released a viable product at affordable costs.

It was the transition of workforce to countries without significant labor protection laws that allowed opportunities to market GenForward’s product at such a wide consumer base. With production costs cut, consumers paid astronomically low rates to get minor enhancements to their appearance.

The “neo-natural” trend exploded, and it became more common to see enhanced humans in public than pure humans. Wrinkles and signs of age wiped away, fat under control with actively intelligent metabolic rates, self-repairing DNA quickly abolished cancer, and many diseases faded away.

The pornography industry was notable at this period of time for heavily pushing the boundaries of possibility. It is worth noting that the collective milestones reached by the collective companies includes the first growth of new breasts (pushing a woman first to four total individual breasts, before surpassing that to eight), the first growth of new penises (surprisingly, the record for first, second, and third penis grown on a single body belongs to the same woman), first genetic duplication of a person, first blending of two different genetic codes to create two new but identical people, and first delayed genetic modification, where the person continued changing after their GenForward treatment.

The one first the porn industry did not obtain, however, was the first human-animal hybrid. A young researcher, unnamed for their anonymity in their new personal life, had been attempting to isolate the genetic structure that determined the fur pattern in domestic cats. As it was common in the early days of GenForward, this research tested the new formula on himself. His change rapidly destabilized and overtook him, leaving a half human, half cat hybrid. Immediate testing indicated that this change had stabilized and seemingly granted the research new possibilities of growth and change.

Suddenly there was an explosion of potential applications and variations of change. Before rulemakers could respond the Summer Olympics of 2034 featured very few genetically pure humans, with the vast majority of athletes present embracing wider ranges of animal traits. The above pictured Felicity Nion, at an estimated 65% exotic cat in her genetic makeup at the time of the photograph being taken, competed in multiple Olympic sports including the long jump, vaulting, gymnastics, and the 50m dash. Her abilities thrust her to a top placing, and she took gold in all events she competed in.

The Olympic rulemakers, having seen their competition over run by hybrids, initially banned all genetically un-pure humans from competing on the same grounds that they continued a ban against steroids and other performancing enhancing drugs. Lawmakers now had an example to base their proposed legislature upon and similarly outlawed hybrids from their countries.

While these laws were based in fundamentalism, their ultimate impact was cementing a final exodus from the countries that implemented them. The formerly minor nations came together separate of the United Nations, formed the Commonwealth of Freely Expressive States, and with their new economic stranglehold on the world at large, quickly absorbed the remaining dissenting countries and created the first fully unified world government, which will be explored further in the next chapter.

Chapter Study Guide and Outside Reading List follows.