How to engineer humans for life beyond Earth | Christopher Mason | TEDxBoston

Mason begins by highlighting the recent acceleration in space exploration, noting that we've broken through 70 years of slow progress with launches now happening almost daily. He discusses research from NASA's twin study with astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly, which revealed thousands of molecular changes occurring in the human body during space travel, though most revert to baseline upon return to Earth. The talk then shifts to proactive biological engineering for future Mars missions, where radiation exposure could exceed 1000 millisieverts. Mason's lab has successfully incorporated tardigrade genes into human cells, achieving an 80% reduction in DNA damage. He envisions a future where humans could activate dormant genes (like vitamin C production) and complete amino acid synthesis pathways using genes from other organisms. The research has moved from measuring biology to defending it through tools like CRISPR, which has already progressed from experimental to FDA-approved therapies. Mason expands the vision to planetary liberty, where humans could travel between planets and activate different genetic modifications for different environments. He addresses common objections about resource allocation by providing three justifications: society can make progress on multiple fronts simultaneously, space exploration provides hope for future generations, and humans have a unique duty as the only species aware of extinction and capable of protecting life. He emphasizes the rarity and fragility of life, noting Earth's history of mass extinctions during rapid temperature changes, and reveals that Earth's oceans will likely boil in a billion years rather than the commonly cited 4.5 billion. Mason concludes with the ultimate question of whether humanity should attempt to prevent the universe's eventual heat death, arguing that as potential guardians of all life, we may have no choice but to try.