s eye color, etc.
2. It's not specified in the movie, but theorhetically, if we understood the human genome (which is underway) we would be able to manipulate a specific strand of DNA to choose certain characteristics in our offspring.
3. As the narrator explains, he was considered a bad risk because his genetic makeup says there was a chance(!) that he would die from a heart defect before the age of 18. There are a whole variety of other problems or illnesses that could be revealed by analyzing one's genetic makeup. We already know that some afflictions, like alcoholism, seem to be somewhat genetic, meaning that if you had a relative who was an alcoholic, your chances of being an alcoholic are greater. This doesn't mean you WILL become…show more content… Blood is blood - we all have the same blood, no matter what artificial categories - like nationality - we impose on ourselves.
5. A fate birth is someone who is born out of natural copulation. The main character is a fate birth, but his brother was not.
6. Degenerate is a slang term for anyone who isn't considered to be perfect. It's like a racist term. Because of his heart defect, the main character is considered a degenerate - considered to be disposable, ignorable, uneducated, a second class citizen, etc.
7. The police find a hair at the crime scene. The cells at the end of the hair contain DNA, which is what they used to identify who was at the scene of the crime. Since it came back with a degenerate, they simply assume that he must have done the murder. (remember, the main character used to be a janitor at that facility, and so they would have his DNA on record.)
8. In this future, most people are concerned with how compatible they are genetically. Love has nothing to do with matchmaking anymore. Now it's all about how good your genes are. Again, hair contains living DNA which can be analyzed. In this case, she was looking for things like genetic illnesses and other aspects that could be passed to their children. Depending on the results, she would decide whether to pursue a relationship or not. Of course, when she learns that he's a degenerate, her whole perception of society is