# One Germline Tweak Can Compel a Species to Go Extinct by Stewart Brand > “Any gene (or set of genes) can be forced to “drive” through an entire wild population. It doesn’t matter if the trait the genes control is deleterious to the organism. With one genetic tweak to its germline, a species can even be compelled to go extinct.” > **— Stewart Brand**, *2016, Edge Annual Question: “WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST INTERESTING RECENT [SCIENTIFIC] NEWS? WHAT MAKES IT IMPORTANT?”* ## Sources and Context - **Direct Edge response and surrounding essay:** [Self-Driving Genes Are Coming](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/26769) — the official response page preserves this exact, continuous passage and its surrounding argument. - **Complete local collection index:** [[research/Edge 2016 Full Quotation Curation|Edge 2016 Full Quotation Curation]] — retained source-first record for the response object and all canonical reminder links derived from it. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Edge|Edge]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Neurotech|Neurotech]] - **Article:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas|Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas]] - **Article:** [[articles/2026 Annual Report on Brain-Computer Interfaces|2026 BCI Report]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Artificial Selection|Artificial Selection]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Artificial Selection|Artificial Selection]] - [[wiki/Stewart Brand|Stewart Brand]] - [[wiki/Natural Selection|Natural Selection]] - [[wiki/Genetic Code|Genetic Code]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Any gene (or set of genes) can be forced to “drive” through an entire wild population. It doesn’t matter if the trait the genes control is deleterious to the organism. With one genetic tweak to its germline, a species can even be compelled to go extinct.” — Stewart Brand, 2016, Edge Annual Question: “WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST INTERESTING RECENT [SCIENTIFIC] NEWS? WHAT MAKES IT IMPORTANT?” https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-stewart-brand-germline-tweak-compel-extinction ```