Embryo Selection Can’t Pick Ethnicity

Updated: 2025.10.07 14D ago 3 sources
Simulations of sibling genomes show ancestry proportions vary only a few percentage points under typical recombination, so selecting among 10–20 embryos can tilt ancestry slightly but not change a child’s ethnic background. Only very recent admixture with long DNA tracts yields bigger swings, and consumer tests can misread tiny fractions due to measurement error. — This undercuts sensational claims about 'designer ancestry' and helps regulators and ethicists focus on realistic risks and benefits of embryo selection.

Sources

How Embryo Selection Technology exposes the Transferability Paradox
2025.10.07 68% relevant
The article centers on embryo selection using polygenic scores (PGS), highlighting Herasight’s claims of strong within‑family prediction for disease and proposed IQ selection, while also stressing ancestry‑specific limits; this aligns with ongoing debates over what embryo selection can and cannot reliably optimize across populations.
Embryo selection in 2025
Sebastian Jensen 2025.09.19 50% relevant
The article advances embryo selection for complex traits (IQ, disease risks) using polygenic scores and a new startup (Herasight); while not about ancestry selection, it operates in the same embryo‑selection space and underscores realistic trait targets versus sensational 'designer ancestry' claims.
Can You "Choose" Your Baby's Ancestry? The Science of Embryo Selection
Davide Piffer 2025.08.19 100% relevant
The article’s modeled 50/50 parents produce children with ~3.5% standard deviation in ancestry and a best-of-20 embryo max around mid‑50s%, while 98/2 parents show <1% variation and no path to 100% 'purity.'
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