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[i]Recently, a few scientists have started to explore whether we might be able to do a little better if we created new types of humans more fit for the travails of space travel. That's right: genetically modified astronauts. Let's be clear. No one is trying to grow an astronaut in a bubbling vat somewhere. But some far-out ideas once relegated to science fiction and TED Talks have recently started to take concrete form. Experiments have begun to alter human cells in the lab. Can they be made radiation-proof? Can they be rejiggered to produce their own vitamins and amino acids? One person looking at the idea is Christopher Mason, a member of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine. In 2011, Mason came up with what he called a "500-year plan" to get humans off Earth. In it, genetic modification plays a big role. "I think we have to consider it for people that we send to other planets," he says. "We don't know if it's a slight nudge to existing gene expression, or a whole new chromosome, or finally a complete rewriting of the genetic code."[/i]
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