century, and the Genetic Revolution in the 21
st
century. The latter actually started in the 1950s with the discovery of the structure of DNA and accelerated after the mapping of the human genome in 2003. By the end of the 21
st
century sufficient advancement had been made so that cures for cancer and other stubbornly persistent diseases had been found along with cures for more mundane afflictions like the common cold and other viral infections. In addition it became possible to extend the average life expectancy by 200 years or more as well as prolong health, youthfulness, and vitality. Science was now finally able to engineer the human form eliminating deformities, improving intelligence, and enhancing physical appearance. The only area that was left untouched was human nature itself which remained unaffected, untouched, and most importantly untamed.
Despite man's ability to create wealth and prosperity and to enjoy the fruits of his labors, crime persisted and wars (although not large or global), still flared up across the planet taking thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of lives at a time. Bad government and poor management still resulted in famines, genocide, pollution, and regional conflicts that offset many of the gains made by the latest advances in science and technology. In addition, as mankind began its first serious expansion outwards into the solar system, these problems increasingly threatened to interrupt the future prospects for developing the unlimited and untapped material resources that were finally within grasp. As the 22
nd
century dawned the focus of generic research shifted from the physical to the cerebral in an attempt to solve this last remaining problem. It was not sufficient to just improve man's body; his mind must also be enhanced if true progress were to be achieved. Thus began the
New Age of Reason
with scientists applying their knowledge and skill to improve the very nature of man's mind; genes and proteins responsible for aggressiveness and anti-social behavior were isolated and examined. The human genome was re-engineered to reduce, but not eliminate the worst of these traits. Bioengineers realized that a total solution was not possible. These same genes were also tied to inquisitiveness, curiosity, and intellectual drive. If eliminated, the race would flounder and die. So an acceptable engineering trade-off was sought and found. Or so it was thought.
The aggressiveness of the human male was identified as the culprit and as such would be decreased while that of the female increased. Not significantly, just slightly. The trade-off would be a slight increase in homosexuality in the general population. Rates would increase from approximately 10% to 15% among both males and females. However, the resulting reduction in aggressiveness, (especially among males whose late teen and early twenty age-group were responsible for most of society's antisocial problems), would dramatically reduce crime and war. The slight increase in female assertiveness would also serve to further reduce and check the remaining aggressiveness left in the male population as well as further empower women and their role in society (which had long been recognized as a positive and stabilizing force). Creativity and technological advancement was projected to slow by only 2%, on average. Overall population would decrease by 6% or so.
The risks and trade-offs being acceptable, the
Decision
to proceed was made. Within a generation, crime and war were dramatically reduced. In some cases, serious crime dropped to zero. Within another generation war became sporadic and many prisons were closed. No perceptible decrease in technological progress was noted, however homosexuality among the general population was slightly higher than projected, especially among females where rates reached 22%. Overall, these trade-offs were found acceptable and the world entered a
New Golden Era
of peace and prosperity unlike any before it.
But no miracle is perfect. Although disease and plague had long been eliminated, this was not because the cause had been annihilated but, rather because technology could rapidly find and counter new viruses and germs. It thus came as a great surprise in the middle of the 22
nd
century when the male population inexplicitly began to die suddenly and in great numbers. At first, the world remained calm believing that a solution would be engineered within a few days, if not hours just as it always had in the past. But this was not to be. Within 24 hours 20% of the male population died and concern began to rise. Within another 24 hours 50% of the male population was dead. Panic set in. All the resources of the world were brought to bear on the problem. Within a week a solution was finally found and the
Great Plague
completely arrested. However 95% of the male population was gone.
To prevent an unthinkable recurrence of another
Great Plague
the human genome was re-engineered again. The previous tinkering with humanities DNA had left a vulnerability within the new genes. This vulnerability was subtle and could have persisted for centuries or even millennia without incident, waiting for just the right combination of environmental random chance and human fault to trigger the defect. But fate had spun her wheel of chance early and a catastrophe had occurred sooner rather than later. In the resulting aftermath of relief and recrimination a foolproof solution was demanded. As is the case in such circumstances, the solution was both as heavy-handed as it was simple. Its consequences were also equally profound. Female assertiveness and aggressiveness was greatly increased while that of the male decreased still further. The result was a female population that was almost exclusively bi-sexual and heavily homosexual. Males became largely asexual. This combination was chosen to preserve the social gains of the
New Golden Era
while eliminating any chance of another plague caused by weak genetic pairings. The new genes were no longer susceptible to disease, man-made or otherwise.
Other forces were at work here also and had been since before the
Great Plague
. Women had come to enjoy their new more powerful roles. In addition, they also realized that the male population (which was increasingly viewed as having caused all of societies problems) was largely superfluous. Within the decade before the
Great Plague
, science had progressed to the point where reproduction now occurred almost exclusively
ex utero
. This had many advantages and few, if any, disadvantages. In fact, the need for a large male population had been eliminated from the point of view of reproducing the species. A relatively few males could insure sufficient genetic diversity to maintain the race as long as the female population remained large. Gender selection which had long been a matter of choice became an increasingly
female
choice. With their new sexual orientation, the vast majority of women choose to have more and more female offspring and as a result the overall male population had been dwindling for well over a decade. The net effect of the
Great Plague
was to accelerate this trend by exposing to society (what soon became known as) the
Gender Crisis
. The
Gender Crisis
however was not so much a crisis of numbers but a crisis of attitude. The female population was, increasingly, quite happy and quite willing to live without the company of its male counterparts. In fact, some argued (albeit sarcastically) that they had been essentially doing this for time immemorial. The male population on the other hand was largely apathetic and ambivalent to this shift in societal attitude.