Final answer:
Eugenics is a pseudoscientific field focusing on influencing human population characteristics through selective breeding. It is related to population genetics and artificial selection but raises ethical concerns, especially regarding 'designer babies'. Modern science and ethics sharply distinguish between harmful eugenics practices and genetic disease prevention.
Step-by-step explanation:
The study of methods for controlling the characteristics of future human populations through selective breeding is known as eugenics. This pseudoscientific field, which emerged in the early 20th century, posits that human evolution can be enhanced by allowing only certain individuals with preferred genetic traits to reproduce. Population genetics is the related scientific discipline that analyzes how selective forces change a population through changes in allele and genotypic frequencies, while artificial selection is a process where humans breed organisms to ensure certain traits are passed to the next generation.
The concept of using reproductive technologies to select specific traits in humans raises significant ethical and moral debates, particularly regarding the potential resurgence of eugenics in the form of genetically engineered 'designer babies'. Eugenics has a complex and controversial history as it attempted to merge various fields of study with the goal of creating a genetically superior human race. However, modern science distinguishes between eugenics and ethical genetic interventions aimed at preventing genetic diseases.