Can genetic engineering help humans immigrate to Mars?

The atmosphere of Mars is composed of 95.3% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen, 1.6% argon and 0.2% oxygen, while the atmosphere of the earth where humans live is composed of 78. 1% nitrogen, 20.9% oxygen, 0.9% argon and 0. 1%.

The average surface temperature of Mars is as low as -62.77, the highest temperature is -23.88, and the lowest temperature is below -73.33. In contrast, the average temperature of the earth's surface is about 14.4.

From this detailed comparison, it can be seen that the current Martian environment is not enough for human beings to visit and live permanently. Musk has announced that by 2050, he will lead 654.38+0 million people to immigrate to Mars, making mankind an interstellar species. In the eyes of science fiction writers and engineers like Musk, human beings are like independent machines, and they can go anywhere only by providing fuel. We are used to seeing people marching on "alien planets" in movies, but these are fairy tales.

Life on earth is not independent. They are exquisitely and accurately adapted to the environment on the earth. They are a close part of all other life on earth.

Let's imagine, in view of the rapid development of genetic engineering technology, can human beings adapt to the conditions of Mars through genetic engineering?

Assuming that there is no life on Mars, humans will have to use genetic engineering to create a creature that can survive in an environment that humans can't survive at present: feeding on carbon dioxide or rocks and being able to withstand -80? C low temperature, solar radiation is 700 times higher than that of the earth.

The extremely dry environment above the surface of Mars, coupled with the inability to carry out photosynthesis below the surface, almost guarantees that any free-living Martian life form will be underground (below Mars? ), and must rely on inorganic chemistry to maintain life. Reduce carbon sequestration capacity.

Radiation is a major problem. Radiation on Mars 700 times higher than that on Earth will cause DNA damage, and radiation on the way back and forth will also cause DNA damage. There is a way for human beings to resist DNA damage to a greater extent, and that is to learn from slow-moving animals.

Slow-moving animals (such as bear worms) are famous for their cold tolerance and resistance to extreme heat, cold, pressure and radiation. In addition to the main defense mechanism, slow-moving animals also have a unique damage inhibitory protein, which can bind to DNA strands like armor coating. Genetic engineering can combine this protein gene with human gene, so that human cells can survive even if they are exposed to lethal doses of radiation!

This is possible if genetics and/or technology are advanced enough in theory. However, this comes at a price. Fund projects not only bring unprecedented new problems to the society, but also may not be able to kill two birds with one stone. Although organisms produced by genetic engineering are genetically adapted to extreme environments, they are also not adapted to conventional environments.

Perhaps it is easier to adapt Mars to human beings than genetic engineering. One day, it may be possible to create a breathable atmosphere on Mars, but the simplest way to live in the short term is in a huge underground habitat, where we can maintain the atmosphere, grow crops and walk around freely without clothes. You can even install a huge skylight above you, so that you can see the sky when you are inside, giving people a sense of openness that is not underground.

Of course, don't forget that the human body has incredible adaptability. For example, a child without arms can use his feet instead. When some parts of the brain are damaged, other undamaged parts of the brain may grow new connections and restore lost functions. In fact, it is this adaptability that leads to the problem of microgravity or low gravity.

Epigenetics found that human life experience in the environment shaped the gene expression of their offspring. If you move to a high altitude environment, you will be deprived of oxygen for life, but your children will suffer less and your grandchildren will adapt completely. This is not evolution, nor does it require natural selection (although the lack of oxygen among Himalayan aborigines leads to a high infant mortality rate). Although we don't know the gene expression in low gravity, our adaptive and creative bodies may find a way. In fact, humans will be able to adaptively enhance their genes so that they can thrive in the environment created on Mars, which is a one-way process. They will be Martians, not Earthlings.

The first people who immigrated to Mars will have a hard life, but they will become pioneers. Each of them has his own reason to go there. Some people will be unhappy when they get there, and some people will die. But some types of people pursue responsibility or fame, and they will live. Finally, children born on Mars, especially after several generations, will find the earth's environment strange, even strange. Mars is very beautiful for them and is their home.

At some uncertain time in the future? Perhaps, it seems impossible now, but a nuclear reactor seems impossible for the ancient Romans. It seems silly to say impossible now, but it will always be the answer to these open-ended questions.