A stunned Joe Rogan reacts to China allegedly engineering DNA of babies for enhanced intelligence: "Are they already winning chess championships?"

By Nishant Zende.

Modified Apr 08, 2025 18:23 GMT

Joe Rogan reacts to allegations of Chinese DNA engineering. [Image courtesy: Getty Images]

Joe Rogan recently reacted to reports of China allegedly using DNA engineering to create babies with enhanced intelligence. Rogan joked about such children competing in chess championships and asked about their current age.

During a recent interview with entrepreneur Ben Lamm on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast (JRE #2301), the UFC commentator was told about how China allegedly dabbled in DNA modification that involved "editing the embryos" to create HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) resistant babies.

After Rogan enquired about reports of China also allegedly enhancing intelligence in babies, Lamm responded:

"There's people that say that happened and there's people that it doesn't happen... The CEO of BGI [Beijing Genomics Institute], which is funded by the CCP, has said that they are looking at genes with humans. They are looking at what makes humans more intelligent... This is something that's very real."

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In response, Rogan said:

"How old are these kids now?... Are they already winning chess championships? We should find out."

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When Joe Rogan reacted to news of a company trying to revive the wooly mammoth

During a conversation with television personality Forrest Galante on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the famous comedian had his mind blown by reports of Colossal Biosciences, founded by Ben Lamm, trying to bring the wooly mammoth back from extinction.

Speaking to Rogan on the JRE podcast (#1927), Galante went deep on the efforts to revive extinct fauna and said:

"The science is there, like, it's done... It's real-life Jurrassic Park with purpose... The first one they're working on is the wooly mammoth and this has real important conservation implications. They are planning on starting with a hundred mammoths and putting them in a park in Siberia as an experiment."

Reacting to the reports, Rogan claimed that he found the process "creepy" and said:

"You can get your cat cloned, or your dog cloned...It's kinda creepy."

Watch a clip from the episode below:

About the author

Nishant brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his MMA reporting for Sportskeeda. During his 1.5 years with the organization and previous work, Nishant has established himself as a prolific writer in the MMA community. With a Bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism and a Master's degree in International Relations, Nishant's educational background enhances his analytical and reporting skills.

Nishant admires UFC legend Georges St-Pierre for his dominance and exemplary conduct inside and outside the cage. The monumental UFC 229 event, headlined by a grudge match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, captivated Nishant and solidified his passion for MMA.

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Nishant feels that it is only a matter of time that MMA takes over Boxing as the no.1 combat sport. Beyond MMA, his interests include philosophy, music exploration, and wildlife photography.

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Edited by Nishant Zende.