Eating pasta or walking the dog may not seem revolutionary today, but they are direct consequences of a revolution that began ten thousand years ago. With the Neolithic revolution, everything changed: the food we eat, the landscape around us, the way we live in communities, and even our physical appearance. We began to genetically modify not only plants and animals, but also ourselves—albeit with little awareness—and we’ve never really stopped. Rethinking that moment today, now that our awareness has grown, can help us better understand the costs and benefits of genetic engineering.