You know, I can conceive of an experiment in which an experimental gene therapy is developed with the intention of turning people into "super men" to forge humanity's way into the next age. This therapy would be forced upon the population in such a way as to clarify the divide between obedience and independence in the population. If the therapy works, you now have an army of strictly obedient super men to crush the individuals with. If it fails, the obedient are wiped out as a political force, as they are constantly plagued with poor health and regret. So then those who possessed the wisdom to foresee that end will advance into the future.

If your goal is purely the survival of the species, and you don't care at all about how it's done, this might be an experiment you would consider.