of course we would never use the methods we went to the trouble to pioneer...,

telegraph |  A new genetic engineering technique pioneered by Professor Robert Winston could lead to countries like North Korea embarking on risky eugenics programmes, he has warned. 

Lord Winston, 73, who is Britain’s leading fertility doctor, has just published new research showing it is possible to splice new genes into sperm.

It is hoped the development will be used to create pigs which have enough human DNA in their organs that they could be transplanted into humans without rejection.

But in theory, it also means that designer babies who are stronger, faster or more intelligent could be created through artificial insemination.

Currently the technique is only possible with an embryo, which is time-consuming and requires harvesting an egg and embarking on IVF.

Speaking at the Cheltenham Science Festival, Lord Winston warned that the procedure opens the door to eugenics, particularly in countries like North Korea. 

“You could easily see how this kind of thing could be used in North Korea for example. 

“I don’t think it’s very likely it will be used in the UK in a mischievous way but I’ve no doubt that given the burgeoning market, given the desperation of people who want to enhance their children in all sorts of ways, humans might be tempted to use this and that therefore it does become a form of eugenics. 

“Every piece of science has an upside and a downside. There comes a point where you have to publish what you’ve been doing. 

“I’m not trying to make an exaggerated claim for what we have done at all but I think the reproductive technologies are being misused in my view. 

“This is far more likely to be a serious threat than cloning. Cloning seems a useless technology. You can choose the attributes you might want to try and produce. If you can make a mouse run faster, which we can, if you can make a mouse bigger, which we can then maybe people might want to try the same thing in humans.”