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Let's say I want to make a genetically engineered being, who doesn't have iron-based blood, and is an improvement on humans across the board: strictly stronger, more resilient, greater lung capacity, less susceptible to torpor, longer lived, greater intelligence, and heightened senses.

Now my main question is, can we make him/her a better blood-type, CRISPR, resistance to diseases known by mankind, better to live in other low-oxygenated areas?

Or...

Should I just throw in the fiction part, create my own blood type and make it possible within that alternate reality, but not cut corners or make a lazy writing lore/origin?

EDL
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Parker Stevens
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    What do you mean with CRISPR? It's a technique, but you seem to use it as an ability? Also, have you checked any of the myriad of supersoldier, superhuman, enhanced soldier/human, etc. threads ariund here? – Trioxidane Apr 14 '21 at 12:00
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    You put "science-based" on this. You are asking for a gargantuan amount of science, much of which has not been done in any detail. – puppetsock Apr 14 '21 at 13:31
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    Please open an Excel (or LibreOffice Calc, or Google Sheets) worksheet. In column A list all relevant physiological aspects. Across columns B, C, D, E, ... list known blood chemistries. Now go and fill in the multicriterium decision matrix. (P.S. Haemoglobin is a truely amazing substance; I doubt that you will find any serious competitor.) – AlexP Apr 14 '21 at 15:33
  • Please enjoy our [tour] and refer to the [help] for guidance on how we work, welcome to worldbuilding. – Escaped dental patient. Apr 14 '21 at 18:38
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    There are alternatives to Haemoglobin for example Hemocyanin. However most of those superior properties you mentioned are unrelated to blood type. (The world isn't an old Resident Evil where a Wesker exists. RE is not known for being faithful to biology at all.) I would refrain from tying the special abilties down to one measurable property as it raises more questions than it answers. As a reader care less about why something works and more what constraints and challenges it poses that could be interesting for the story. Bad science can also ruin the enjoyment of a story if you highlight it. – worldsmithhelper Apr 14 '21 at 20:40
  • @worldsmithhelper agreed. Does it look cool when an iron maiden regenerator Grows its limbs back in a few seconds and extends impossibly long spikes out of its body? Yes, very much so (for us at least, Leon must be less than amused when it happens). Is it even remotely possible for any living thing to do that from a scientific perspective? No, it's something the word "absurd" doesn't properly convey. – ProjectApex Apr 14 '21 at 21:22
  • Can we - no, we do not know what to make. Is it possible - to some extend, but there are limits. Everything u wrote can be improved by technooogical means however. So just handwave with option of your choice, it generally possible, we just do not know how atm. – MolbOrg Apr 27 '21 at 18:02
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    What makes you think something so distantly related it does not use iron for oxygen transport is going to be susceptible to human diseases. – John Apr 27 '21 at 20:06

1 Answers1

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In our blood, Iron is used in our blood cells to help oxygenate our blood. Iron is an important component in hemoglobin, which is what carries oxygen from our lungs to the rest of our bodies. BUT, there are other types of blood transportation molecules found. To see those, I would look at this question and answer: Other blood colors

A virus (ball thing) with antigens (purple) and an antibody attaching to then (blue)

Now as for better viral resistance, that comes directly from actually having a virus (that's why we have vaccines). When a virus enters our body, it has on the outside of it something called Antigens. Antigens are the part of the virus that triggers an immune response. After a body has a virus, it creates antibodies, which interlock fit into an antigen sort of like a lock and key. Antibodies help your body fight a virus faster and easier the next time you come in contact with it. To have better viral immunity, while genetics can play a part in it, a person has to develop antibodies against the virus. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002224.htm

In reference to larger lungs, this has been discovered in people who have adapted to living in high altitudes. Larger lungs help collect more oxygen from thinner air, which helps people stay alive. https://www2.palomar.edu/anthro/adapt/adapt_3.htm

As for CRISPR, CRISPR is a gene-editing tool that we still are researching. The basis for it is replacing small portions of DNA to help fix problems. As gene editing and the science behind it is still being learned, there are a lot of unknowns. We do not fully know how gene editing could affect a person's genome in the long run. Additionally, the ethics of it are questionable and can lead into eugenics, which is a HIGHLY discussed, questioned, and often disliked concept (editing for human perfection). https://www.livescience.com/58790-crispr-explained.html

The science behind what you're asking for isn't completely there, but it is to a certain degree.

A Writer
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