The impact of the theory of evolution on society is still widely felt today. Developments in biotechnology and genetic engineering over the past few decades, in particular, have helped keep the topic in the media and in public discourse. The discussion centers primarily on ethicaland moral questions: to what extent interventions in the gene pool of living organisms on Earth—made possible by ever-advancing genetic engineering—can be considered sensible at all, and what aspects of this research should be viewed as a blessing and what as a threat to humanity. The question at hand is what “being human” will mean in the future, and to what extent human influence on natural processes should or may extend.

Unlike eugenics, whose primary aim has always been to exert influence through legislation at the state level, biotechnology and genetic engineering are subject more to the laws of supply and demand. No one is required to use the results and products from this field, but anyone can. The applications of this industry—which has long been generating billions in revenue—touch every aspect of life on Earth: plants, animals, and humans, ranging from individual organisms to entire species and even the planet’s entire biosphere. For example, various companies have long advertised that, based on DNA analysis, they can genetically trace any person’s family tree back over centuries or even millennia. The demand is considerable, as interest continues to grow in having one’s direct descent from ancient “peoples” such as the “Germans” or the indigenous cultures of North America supposedly proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.

In addition to being specifically marketed as a commodity, the various aspects of evolutionary theory are given space—and thus visibility—in different media formats. For example, following the publication of Darwin’s magnum opus, a now significantly more popular “ape motif” helped the theory of evolution gain greater traction in literature. Since the close kinship between humans and apes—already posited by Darwin—has been proven on the basis of DNA, this trend has intensified even further, including in other media such as film. References to evolution can also be found in film, for example in the form of a resurgence of eugenic ideals in Hollywood productions of the 1960s, which were used to perpetuate traditional gender roles. Finally, the evolutionary process itself has also appeared in the media. The relatively new medium of video games, in particular, has repeatedly given—and continues to give—its users the opportunity to trace the biological development of plants, animals, and humans, and even to shape these developments themselves as a kind of “intelligent designer.” Thus, the impression is increasingly taking hold that evolution is truly everywhere.

Contents of this section in the book:

• Brave New World? 
  Opportunities and Limits of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering 
  Heinrich Zankl
• Biotechnology: 
  Evolution as a Cultural Technique and a Marketed Product 
  Marianne Sommer
• Apes and Humans: 
  Evolution in 20th-Century Literature 
  Virginia Richter
• The Perfect American Nuclear Family: 
  Eugenic Ideals in 1960s Hollywood Films 
  Mita Banerjee
• Traces of Evolution in Video Games 
  Jan Pasternak

Image source: Gen Suisse Foundation (ed.): Journey to the Genes, in: Gen Suisse, section: Teaching Materials, subsection: Genetic Engineering Slide Set, Slide 1, URL: http://www.gensuisse.ch/sites/default/files/01_ reise_zu_den_genen.pdf (as of November 1, 2016). Published with the kind permission of the Gen Suisse Foundation.