Genetically Altered Man?

Researchers at the University of Washington have genetically altered poplar trees to pull toxins out of contaminated ground water, offering a cost-effective way of cleaning up environmental pollutants.
A group of British researchers, meanwhile, has developed genetically altered plants that can clean residues of military explosives from the environment.
Sharon Doty, an assistant professor of forest resources at the University of Washington explains, "Phytoremediation is basically a solar-powered pollutant-removal system,"
Doty's research is part of an emerging area of study known as phytoremediation, which aims to use trees, grasses and other plans to remove hazardous materials. "It uses the plant's natural ability to extract chemicals from water, soil, and air," Doty said.
2.
This makes me wonder what could be man’s natural ability? Is making war natural to him? Has any nation picked another nation more powerful than it is and yet gone on notwithstanding on a matter of principle?
"We could not leave them to themselves -- they were unfit for self-government -- and they would soon have anarchy and misrule over there worse than Spain's was .. there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them." -William McKinley - (1843-1901) 25th US President
You may judge yourself how the might of Filipinos did compare with the might of the US. Granting that perception of the US President (of Filipno being incapable of self-government) was right, did the invasion achieve the objective? Look at the specimen of regimes the US domination on the Philippines have since then spawned: how corrupt was the regime of Ferdinand Markos or that of Estrada and so on.
In my opinion McKinley got it all wrong.
Tailpiece: If no war has achieved its objectives why do nations still go to war?
benny