De Mens 2.0

Imagine consuming a shot of live superbacteria every morning to help you digest spinach more efficiently. Or having an extra stomach, like a cow’s, filled with specialised fibre-digesting bacteria. Or maybe even a genetic upgrade that allows you to produce essential amino acids, vitamins, and fatty acids yourself, making you less dependent on your diet. How far would you be willing to go?

Each of us is a digesting tube – a passage from mouth to anus in which organs transform food into energy. The construction of this tube determines what we can eat and even how we behave. But why stick to this standard equipment? Our bodies have evolved slowly, while our culture and eating habits have changed at lightning speed. Plant-based food is less taxing on the environment and animals but harder to digest due to tough cellulose fibres that only specific bacteria can break down.

What if we adapted our bodies to the food of the future instead of the other way around? Bacterial shots could become as common as vitamin pills. Growing extra organs is no longer science fiction. And with CRISPR, we can rewrite our genetic blueprint. Does that sound frightening or hopeful? Maybe your own body holds the key to a more sustainable world.