It was clear to Wong how passionate his visitor was about the scheme he was proposing, and Wong could see the way ahead to obtaining the laboratory funding he so badly needed, but his intrinsic honesty would not let him mislead the Swede. He could not allow the man, no matter how rich he might be, to throw money at something which was impossible to achieve. After several hours, the meeting came to an end.
“I will think about what you have proposed, and if I can come up with something that might show me a way to achieve what you want, I will let you know. I cannot, however, in all good faith, allow you to pour money into something, that can never give you what you want.”
“You will think about it? Science is making inroads all the time. There may be something, somewhere, that could open the door to what we need.”
“Quite possibly, yes, I agree, you are correct. Anyone who says that something is impossible, would be a very brave person indeed, in this age. Sending pictures through the air was impossible, but today we have television. Passing invisible waves into peoples bodies to cure them was unheard of, but today we have radiotherapy treating cancer, taking X-ray pictures. Yes, science is fantastic. As you say, it is making inroads all the time. I will certainly think about it.”
“I would not want you to come on board, unless you are totally in support, and I appreciate your honesty. I would like to believe that what I have suggested might be possible, so on that point, I hope you are wrong. This will be a project that will demand one hundred per cent commitment, I understand that, and I guess you do, too, and from what you are saying, would take some time. Please telephone me, if you have an answer. Do not email.”
Sorensen left, to return to the airport and his private jet, to fly back to Sweden.
Wong thought, “This idea is crazy. He wants to change the world! It is madness, outrageous.”
He went over the arguments Sorensen had put up, as to why change was necessary, and began nodding to himself in agreement. He hadn’t thought much before, about what was going on in the world around him, his mind mostly focussed on what was happening in his laboratory, and the problems there, but what the Swedish billionaire had said, about a world rushing towards disaster, made sense.
Sorensen had been looking at the big picture, the dynamics that were at work, shaping the behaviour of populations, in various countries around the world. Mass migrations of people from continents like Africa, heading northwards into Europe by the tens of thousands, desperately searching for safety, and a better lifestyle, driven partly by the threat of war, but more, by the realisation that life where they were living at present, was becoming intolerable. It was the same in Central America.
This, however, was but a symptom of the real, underlying problem. Mega cities throughout Asia, in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Korea, were becoming pressure cookers, bursting at the seams with teeming millions, all scrabbling to survive. Grid-locked transport systems, food distribution networks that could collapse overnight, Governments, too often habituated by self seeking egocentrics, more concerned with building personal wealth and empires, than improving the lives of those they were empowered to govern, were failing.
Yes, Sorensen was right. There were too many people for society to function efficiently, it came down to that simple equation. Every day, each one of those billions had to be fed, clothed, housed, and educated. In the cities, food had to be grown, brought in, and distributed, also clothing, and building materials, and it all had to come from somewhere, and the number to be cared for, kept growing.
On every continent, more and more land was being cleared of its native vegetation to make way for food growing, and manufacture. Native wildlife species were becoming extinct almost every day, as their habitat disappeared. Nowhere, was there sufficient will to stop this happening. The pressure to maintain supply for the teeming masses, was simply too great. People had to come first.
But could this state of affairs continue indefinitely? Sorensen obviously thought not. Could, or would, Europe keep accepting millions of refugees from Africa? America was beginning to say “No” to the tens of thousands attempting to flee into that country. They had voted for a man who vowed he would build a wall, to keep southerners out. The pressure was building relentlessly, and Sorensen was convinced it would soon reach bursting point. In many places, it had already reached that point. He had painted a vivid picture.
“Look at the wars being fought today, in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Israel, Crimea. Religion is playing a part, sure, but essentially, what these wars are really about, is power to control land, resources. There will be more wars. As the pressure from expanding populations grows, in the end, it will come down to controlling whatever resources are available.
“China recognises this, and has been building up its military for years. Blind Freddie can see, China is setting itself up for what it realises could end up in armed conflict. It is only a matter of time before China will forcibly take from its neighbours, what it needs for its own people.”
Yes, thought Wong. Wars had always been fought over territory and resources, but as Sorensen had pointed out, in past generations, the weapons used had been bows and arrows, even guns and bombs. Tomorrow, they could be nuclear weapons. Nations everywhere with the bomb, were rushing to develop more efficient ways of delivering the weapon. All out nuclear warfare, between nations armed with the bomb, was a terrifying prospect. Both America and Russia admitted to holding almost eight thousand nuclear warheads each, and no one knew what reserves China held. Twenty years ago, China test detonated a device measured at one thousand times more powerful than the ones that had destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Once one device was detonated in anger, the resulting retaliation would be catastrophic. No corner of the world would escape.
Frederik Sorensen had asked him if there was a way to fix this. He obviously believed it had to be fixed, if the world was to survive.
“Sooner or later, one of the countries with nuclear weapons, will resort to using them. A mad leader will push the button. When that happens, it will mean the end of the world as we know it. Armageddon. A nuclear war will poison every corner of the planet, and affect life everywhere. No one will escape the consequences, no one. Any life remaining after a nuclear conflict, could well be unrecognisable. There will be no real survivors.”
Wong had never viewed the world’s problems in such a cataclysmic way. As he thought about it, he could see the Swede was close to the mark. Yes, the world’s problems were becoming more intense, and yes, behind it all, was the pressure exerted by burgeoning populations.
It was the Swede’s suggestion as to a way this might be fixed, which had floored him, and he had almost laughed out loud. It was preposterous! It sounded silly, it was impossible! Then he considered the ramifications. Maybe it was not so silly. If it could be made to work, it would certainly put a stop to population growth.
Sorensen’s proposal, put simply, was to render an entire population of women, infertile! He had asked if the science existed that could achieve this. He had explained, it would be like putting all the women in a country on the pill, and keeping them on the pill, but without their consent! Take them back off the pill, when the problem had gone away.
As he thought through what was proposed, and its implications, Wong had to admit to himself, the idea did have some logic. Stop population growth dead in its tracks, by stopping childbirths! He had no idea how it could be achieved, but if it were possible, it would certainly have the effect that was needed.
Of course, you would have to be able to reverse it, or the human population would cease to exist, and that, Wong immediately identified, would be a flaw in the concept. Even if it could be done, and Wong had no idea just how it could be brought about, it would not take long before medical resources were brought to bear, to reverse it. Women, unable to have the babies they wanted, would be desperate, and would demand a fix, and medicine would no doubt quickly find a way to
reverse whatever had caused the problem. Mass infertility would be a short term solution, not a lasting one. That is, if it were achievable, at all.
Wong knew genes of an individual could be altered in such a way, the person would be rendered infertile. The knock out mouse experiment had shown the way to do this. However, this could only be done, one person at a time, and required painstaking, individual, surgical intervention. How it could be done to an entire population, without such personal intervention, he had no idea. That was a scientific puzzle, for which he had no answer. It did not mean there was no answer, he just didn’t have it.
Many medical breakthroughs in the past had come about as a result of someone, having identified a problem, searching for ways to resolve it. Occasionally it was a fluke, one experiment tripping over a discovery, incidental to the main intention. More often, the solution came as a result of a theory, a thesis, that tested out to be correct.
As he pondered the issues that would need to be resolved, Wong’s mind darted down various avenues of science, looking for such a theory. If he could find an answer, it meant he could justify the laboratory he needed for his gene research, a laboratory the Swedish millionaire was willing to finance. He needed that laboratory.
It came to him, in the sleepless early hours of one morning, several weeks after his second conference with Frederik Sorensen. He leaped out of bed, excited, and began pacing the bedroom floor, awakening Lanfen, his wife, who sat up, startled, wondering what had suddenly got into her husband. A phone call to Frederik Sorensen requested another meeting, and again, the Swede had insisted that he be the one to fly across the Atlantic for the visit. They met a few days later.
“Mr. Sorensen, I have thought deeply about your idea of mass infertility, and what it could mean. To render an entire population infertile, as you have proposed, poses, what I thought, were insurmountable scientific obstacles. Causing infertility by manipulating genes is, of course, possible, as you originally suggested, but to date, it has only been done, one person at a time, by surgical intervention. To achieve this for an entire population, would be to do something that has never been done before. It would mean manipulating genes, knocking them out, without surgical intervention.
“At first I thought, it cannot be done. Taking out a gene is an extraordinarily tricky procedure, and requires very considerable skill, and the best of equipment. To achieve it, without surgery? I thought, impossible! However, in theory, I believe it just might be possible.
“There may be a way to do it, but I stress, it is only a theory. It is in my head, an idea. It has never been done. Let me tell you what would be needed, to find out if there is any validity in my theory.”
On his flight home, Sorensen reflected on what the professor had outlined. He had grasped the essence of the professor’s idea, and was excited by it. He also understood the nature of the obstacles to be overcome, to test whether Wong’s theory would work. Wong had spent several hours with him, going over the pros and cons. He also pondered the professor’s comments on the social problems a sudden, induced, mass infertility, on a population, would wrought. It was clear professor Wong had not outlined a quick fix as a solution to world overpopulation, but he appreciated Wong’s honesty. What the professor had done, was shine a light at the end of a long tunnel.
As his plane flew back to Sweden, Frederik again began making notes. He had jotted down some of the figures Wong had outlined as the professor had talked, and now he extrapolated them, and started doing the sums. It was going to be a long haul, with no guarantee of success at the end, but there was hope. It would be expensive, but he could afford it. If it worked, his idea for the world might just be achieved. If it didn’t, at least he would have tried.
Back in the U.S., Wong thought their conversation. He had tried to be as honest as he could be with the Swedish millionaire, but he had gained the impression it was not money that would be the obstacle. Theoretically, while his thesis might be legitimate, only exhaustive testing would give the answer, and it might prove to be a dud. How to achieve Sorensen’s goal was going to be incredibly difficult. And costly! It was a momentous challenge.
If it failed, it would mean a waste of a colossal amount of money for which he, Wong, would be responsible, and to the professor, the amount of money was breathtaking. Figures rushed around in his brain, and the professor shook his head. It would be hugely expensive, and he had made this clear to the man, but Sorensen hadn’t blinked. The professor let out a deep breath, and scratched his head, as he tried to go over the points the Swede had made.
What would it all mean? It would mean much much more than a mere waste of money, which, if the Swede was prepared to waste it, was his business. The implications of where this might lead were enormous. It would turn his own life upside down, and require him to dedicate himself to something he was not yet entirely sure he wanted to be involved in. The issues were complex.
On the positive side, it meant he could continue his work, without the limitations imposed on him at the present time. Sorensen had said he could virtually nominate what equipment he would need, and what staff he needed to employ, to leave the money side of it to him to look after, and it was obvious, from both the intensity of the Swede’s demeanour, and his words, that he meant it. This, to Wong, was a huge carrot.
“Together, we will establish a brand new facility. You can build the laboratory from scratch, we will locate it in a secure place, and it will be dedicated to this project. It will be your laboratory. You will design it, and you can choose what equipment you need, and also nominate which researchers you require to work with you. I will do my best to procure their services. I want you to hire the best, and the brightest, from anywhere in the world, to become involved, and work with you. I will worry about the cost, you do not need to think about that.”
He was prepared to finance him with whatever it took to achieve his objective! Sorensen had promised him a stipend three times more than what he was now earning, with a further significant bonus, as a prize if he could achieve the goal laid out, and he would also provide free accommodation and meals.
This was exhilarating, and Wong’s imagination raced with the possibilities, but there were other things to consider. The downside would mean leaving the security of the university, the bonhomie and mental stimulation of the faculty there, and it would probably mean relocating his family, which meant Lanfen, his wife. If they relocated, she would lose the social contacts she now had.
Wong would have to totally commit to the project, a commitment that would need to be matched by all those who agreed to come on board, and this caused him to hesitate. Did he want this, this badly? Was this how science should be used?
Wong did not live in a vacuum, but in his sheltered and secure life, the harshness suffered by the poverty stricken millions of the world did not impact on him, and in truth, he had rarely thought about it. It was obviously something the Swede felt deeply about, so much so, he wanted to change things, dramatically change things, and he was prepared to spend a fortune to try to achieve this. He wanted to use science, to significantly reduce the world’s population, and he wanted Wong to design the tools to achieve it.
Sorensen’s ultimate goal, as outlined to Wong, was twofold. End the misery of the impoverished millions by reducing their numbers, so that mother earth could provide for those remaining in a more sustainable manner. The second effect would follow, over time.
With less pressure, would come better governance, hopefully fewer disputes, less killing. The terrorists of the world would lose their cause celebre. The way would be opened for a more peaceful society to develop, and a better educated and intelligent populace, again hopefully, would eventually work out a way so people could live in peace. It would evolve, take time, but eventually it should happen. Sorensen’s logic was hard to argue with. If the problem was not addressed and reversed, the ultimate result for the planet would be chaos. The world’s population had to be
brought under control.
Wong agreed this would be a good outcome. It was Sorensen’s suggested method that caused his angst. If successful, it would totally change society.
All Wong’s work to date with genes, involved peering into powerful microscopes, identifying individual genes, then manipulating them, using the most sensitive tools available. It was painstaking, slow work, and results came after testing, but it was immensely rewarding. It was also very personal for the professor. The results were his results.
To achieve Sorensen’s goal, would throw this tried and true method on its head. Forget the individual. Sorensen wanted to change entire communities, en masse.
Wong correctly read Sorensen as someone who liked to get things done, and done quickly. Wong could see he was a man for quick results, and the laboratory he proposed would be, itself, a pressure cooker of bright minds, all focused on the same end. Sorensen wanted results as soon as possible, and Wong could see that, as a potential problem. This research had to be painstaking, necessarily slow, and would require exhaustive testing.
Wong’s theory to treat a whole community, was to use a virus. His laboratory would have to find a smart virus, one that attacked the appropriate genes that led to sexual development, but left the rest of the body intact. A virus which would reproduce itself, and spread between people, infecting them as it did so. This was the only way a community could be reached, without its consent. Could a virus be trained and manipulated to do this? Wong did not know. This was a whole new field. They would be pioneering world-first new research.
Was it ethical? That was another matter entirely. For the concept to work, it would have to be imposed on people, without their knowledge, or consent. People would not, knowingly and willingly, agree to give up their ability to have children.
Sorensen had put the argument, “Professor, it is far more humane to simply turn off the tap of reproduction, and allow population numbers to subside, than to ignore the problem, and permit the poor, miserable, and wretched of the world to keep on multiplying without limit, until they overrun and eventually destroy the planet, and there is meltdown. Yes, a side effect would be scores of frustrated women unable to have children, but that is a price that would have to be paid.
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