{"text":[[{"start":5.78,"text":"The writer is a science commentator"}],[{"start":8.16,"text":"There is a fantasy-comic flavour to some of the scientific and technological pronouncements drifting from across the Atlantic of late. Two weeks ago, Elon Musk, who wants to colonise Mars and make brain implants, unveiled a “flying” car — a Tesla vehicle equipped with thrusters from his rocket company SpaceX. And last Thursday, a start-up called Warhound came out of stealth mode, revealing a plan to gene-edit and clone military dogs."}],[{"start":34.22,"text":"Its website depicts five powerful dogs wearing military vests and goggles above a caption reading, “A new breed of dominance”. That it looks like a marketing image for a canine Call of Duty-style video game is surely no coincidence: co-founder and tech billionaire Ben Lamm called it a “Captain America programme for dogs”."}],[{"start":52.32,"text":"Truly, we are living in the age of cartoon science, a succession of Marvel-style goals seemingly served up more as entertainment for the masses than for genuinely solving the many shared, real-world problems we face today. Even Reddit commenters, a normally pro-tech bunch, appeared unimpressed, with one remarking “Cancer cure screw that WAR DOGS!”. Another lamented: “Why can’t they make crop-picking bots instead so they can make food cheaper?”"}],[{"start":79.04,"text":"In an attention economy, flying cars and superdogs are privately funded distractions from the duller, knottier scientific business of tackling disease, pollution and climate change. Meanwhile, we risk losing our sense of awe at material game-changers for humanity like clean air and vaccines, with the current US administration seemingly bent on ripping up health guidelines and kneecapping organisations like the Environmental Protection Agency."}],[{"start":105.04,"text":"Warhound was dreamt up by Lamm — whose company Colossal Biosciences works on using genetic technology in the hope of bringing back extinct species like the dodo and woolly mammoth — and Palmer Luckey, who co-founded the defence tech and drone company Anduril (named after the “Flame of the West” sword in JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings). It has already raised $200mn from investors and is valued at $1.2bn; its CEO David Spirk is a former chief data officer at the Pentagon with links to Palantir Technologies (named after the palantiri, the all-seeing crystal balls in Tolkien’s epic)."}],[{"start":142.96,"text":"According to a Warhound spokesperson, the company is intended to improve the chances that service dogs, mostly Belgian Malinois and German Shepherds acquired from European breeders, will make it through training without issues like hip dysplasia (when the hip joint grows abnormally, leading to arthritis), eye problems and a predisposition to cancer. This will be achieved, the spokesperson told the FT, by “starting from the best-performing lines, screening out the genetic markers for career-ending conditions, and pairing the dogs with protective equipment and situational awareness tools”. In other interviews, Lamm has said the genetic lines of current top dogs could be edited for longevity and performance, such as an enhanced sense of smell."}],[{"start":184.36,"text":"Ultimately, the start-up is intended to provide the US with its own supply of superior military animals. While Warhound will own the bio-banked cell lines, the company spokesperson told the FT the dogs will not be sold as pets."}],[{"start":197.8,"text":"Despite the American Humane Society partnering with Warhound to certify the animals’ welfare, others have condemned the plan. Colleen O’Brien, from the animal rights charity Peta, said: “It’s a pity that some people with enormous amounts of money have very little common sense. Genetically engineering dogs for dangerous military work is a stunningly old-fashioned idea at a time when other agencies are phasing out the use of dogs in favour of robotics, AI and other state of the art technology.”"}],[{"start":226.545,"text":"The US military is already testing AI robot dogs — or autonomous quadruped robots — for reconnaissance, hazardous inspections and ground operations. The Warhound spokesperson asserted: “No sensor or robot yet matches a dog’s natural instincts and training or nose for finding explosives.”"}],[{"start":243.4,"text":"Still, living, breathing cloned dogs of war clad in military gear make a cool plotline for a country that looks more like the dystopian drama Black Mirror every week. The bespoke mutts will seem even more sinister beside the high-testosterone fighting force that US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth wants to unleash. It is hard to think of a better episode drop for Halloween."}],[{"start":265.92,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1793370286_1013.mp3"}