The American Economy Is in a Funk, But Not for the Reasons We Think(freakonomics.com)

  1.  We don't have a good enough understanding of intelligence to describe the target.
  2.  We don't have a good enough understanding of intelligence to separate the
      developmental factors from the genetic factors.
  3.  We don't have a good enough understanding of the genetic factors to know what changes
      need to be made to the DNA.
  4.  We don't have a 'one-and-done' method of genetic engineering -- you can't modify a
      single embryo reliably.
  5.  As applied to humans, the iteration cycle is well over twenty years and the biggest
      IRB nightmare you can imagine.

  The Lifetime Distribution of Health Care Costs - Principal Findings

  Per capita lifetime expenditure is $316,600, a third higher for females
  ($361,200) than males ($268,700). Two-fifths of this difference owes to women's
  longer life expectancy. Nearly one-third of lifetime expenditures is incurred
  during middle age, and nearly half during the senior years. For survivors to
  age 85, more than one-third of their lifetime expenditures will accrue in their
  remaining years.

  Conclusions

  Given the essential demographic phenomenon of our time, the rapid aging of the
  population, our findings lend increased urgency to understanding and addressing
  the interaction between aging and health care spending.