In a not-so-distant future, GATTACA is a movie about a dystopian society where a person’s social status, career prospects, and identity are determined almost entirely by genetic makeup. The movie explores the life of Vincent Freeman, who was conceived naturally, without any genetic or selective traits making him an ‘invalid.’ GATTACA explored themes of genetic determinism, eugenics and perfectionism, and discrimination. With the current genetic technological advancements, GATTACA might leave us wondering, is this really a work of fiction or our near future?
At first GATTACA may seem like a wild work of fiction, but when we look closely, is it really that wild? Current technologies like CRISPR allow us to successfully edit genes in embryos, somatic cells, and germline cells. In fact, in 2018, Chinese scientist He Jiankui edited the genes of twin girls to make them resistant to HIV. Not only is this technology easy to use, but now it is accessible, cheap, and extremely accurate. Additionally, in 2003, the Human Genome Project completed the first full sequencing at a cost of billions of dollars. As of 2025, full genome sequencing can cost as little as hundreds of dollars and can be done in under 24 hours. We now have the technology to physically alter DNA in organisms, essentially changing their phenotypes anywhere from disease to eye color.
The advancements of these technologies clearly brings an ethical debate specifically concerning “designer babies” like in GATTACA. These technologies also instigate rules and regulations. In GATTACA, society openly discriminates based on DNA — a concept known as genetic essentialism. In the U.S., the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act prohibits genetic discrimination in health insurance and employment. However, laws may not provide much protection. In the movie, despite having laws in place against discrimination, it did not stop society from being discriminatory towards people who were ‘invalid.’ Laws aren’t very effective when people’s perceptions and mindsets are not changed and there is a deep rooted system of discrimination in society.
What is wrong and what is right is something we establish as a society. A lot of us think biology is an irrefutable fact, however most often, biology is a reflection of predetermined social constructs. Take the patriarchy for example, a social construct reflected in science; in the past many believed women to be mere incubators for babies without contribution to them genetically. These foundations are also transferable to examples like the eugenics movement, where people were forced to be sterilized, targeted towards “undesirable” populations like immigrants. The same thing happened in Nazi Germany where genocide was disguised under “racial purification” and “biological improvement.” This is a classic example of racial hierarchies framed as scientific truth.
A more modern example of this is the misconception that race is a genetic category. It is commonly assumed that race reflects biological or genetic differences and race is an explanation of why certain diseases are more prevalent in certain races. For example, the notion that Black people are more prone to sickle cell anemia. However, “race” does not map neatly onto population structure or ancestry, and connections between race and disease are superficial and have more to do with the social determinants of health. The movie GATTACA also illustrates how societal constructs place importance on genetics as the primary determinant of an individual’s fitness and value in life.
But then again, how much of an organism’s characteristics and behaviors are genetic to begin with? Epigenetics is the study of how environmental factors influence gene expression — without altering the underlying DNA sequence. Recently, scientists have discovered that going through traumatic life experiences has effects on gene expression. Other characteristics that humans have like intelligence, aggression, motivation, and empathy are shaped by lived experiences, culture, certain interactions, and education.
A similar question was asked about the extinct species of wolf — the dire wolves. In 2022, Colossal Biosciences established a project to bring back the extinct dire wolves. Using dire wolf DNA from ancient fossils, they made 20 specific gene edits to the gray wolf embryo using CRISPR. The embryos were implanted in a surrogate mother and the three pups were delivered successfully in late 2024 and early 2025. This sparked debate; are dire wolves actually dire wolves if 20 gene sequences of gray wolves have changed? Is it purely their genetic makeup that makes them dire wolves and not gray wolves, or is it their role in the ecosystem and how they interact with the environment? The same question applies to humans: are humans more ‘valid’ with a couple gene sequence edits?
In conclusion, a society like GATTACA may never be possible, but it is a reminder that science is very much socially constructed. It is a warning that we must challenge the myth of genetic determinism, push towards a more inclusive science, and actively question what biases we are bringing into our understanding of science. GATTACA is a reminder that science and society cannot exist without each other, but also heavily influence one another. Maybe we simply put too much emphasis on genetic makeup and disregard everything else that goes into making a human.