The world’s largest genetic-research center says it is getting very close to being able to allow parents to choose the embryo most likely to succeed in life.

The Daily Mail is reporting on the work of Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) whose scientists are mapping the genes of people who are gifted in math in order to isolate the genes that make them smarter than average people.

“Shenzhen-based BGI is mapping the genes of math geniuses, and appealing via its web site for more to take part in the controversial study,” the Mail is reporting. “Researchers then plan to compare these against a sample from the general population – and hopefully isolate what makes them special.”

They believe this knowledge will ultimately allow parents to pick the “smartest embryos” when they’re ready to start a family.

Researchers believe 50-80% of what determines a person’s IQ is inherited and that most children are within 13 points of their parents’ combined average.

The many serious ethical issues that arise from research such as this would make a similar project very difficult to pursue in the West, but not so in China. In fact, the state-run China Development Bank has already given $1.5 billion to the project.

“Imagine what a couple might pay to ensure that they get the best out of 10 or 50 possible offspring, optimizing over their choice of heritable attributes,” said BGI’s Bowen Zhao, on his blog.

He went on to tell the New Yorker that eventually, even countries that opposed the practice would have to “come around” and accept it.

“There are going to be countries that say this is part of our national health-care service and everyone is doing it,” he said. “And eventually it would become unstoppable, because the countries that initially outlawed it would have to come around. How could they not?”

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