This week is part three in my future technology series and this week I'm going to talk a little bit about one of the scarier new technologies that is coming to maturity. That technology is 'GM' - genetic manipulation

The Human Genome Project was funded by Congress and launched in October 1990 and was completed on April 14, 2003. The goal was to completely sequence the human genome, and to make the results available freely to the public. Advances in computer power during the project enabled it to be completed two years ahead of schedule and $300 million under budget. And here's the part where last week's columns blends in: Complete Genomics, a California company, says that in June of this year, they are going to launch a commercial service that will complete the same project for anyone who wants their own DNA sequence, and they'll do it in 8 days for about $1000. Other companies have jumped onto this highly lucrative venture and estimates are out now that say that by the end of 2010, anyone will be able to have their own personal code in a day for about $100.

What does this mean to you? Basically it means your doctor will be able to prescribe a medicine tailored specifically to your DNA. Current medicines are a shotgun approach, knowing exactly which sequences of your DNA are damaged will allow pinpoint treatment. Already, thousands of patents have been filed by pharmaceutical companies racing to find cures for many genetic diseases. The hope is that any disease caused by DNA damage will become easily correctable.

Doctors in fertility clinics are already taking this technology further. Anyone undergoing IVT (in vitro-fertilization) can opt to have Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis done on the viable embryos to weed out any that show genetic defects like Downs Syndrome and other abnormalities. A few weeks ago, the Fertility Institute began offering gender, complexion, hair, and eye color selection. And the crowds went wild. Many groups expressed outrage and concern. The company has put a halt to its program for now due to pressure. However, now that the technology is available, someone will do it, whether in the US, or elsewhere.

There are definitely two sides to this. I can see wanting to give my child every possible advantage in this increasingly complex and competitive world. But I can also see the huge potential for miss-use and the gap this will force into our culture. The have's will be able to order up a blue-eyed, blond, 6'2" athletic kid with an IQ of 180, and the have not's will have to do it old-fashioned blind luck way. Either this type of technology will have to be completely banned (which will just force it underground), or it will have to be made freely available to everyone. Check out Gattaca, starring Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke and Jude Law, to see a great film that cover this very topic.

Genetic manipulation is here, it's cheap, and it'll probably cure every disease we suffer from, but in the end it may end up making us more than human, for better or worse.

Tune in next week for the last segment of this series, where I'll talk about the looming technology that has the potential of completely collapsing the economy of the world overnight