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CRISPR and the Future of Human Genetics
Gene editing technology could eliminate disease — or create designer babies
Scientists can now edit the human genome with unprecedented precision. Whether this leads to a world without inherited disease or a society stratified by genetics depends on choices we make now.
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CRISPR-Cas9, discovered in 2012, works like molecular scissors: a guide RNA directs the Cas9 protein to a precise DNA location where it cuts, allowing genes to be deleted, corrected, or replaced. Its simplicity and low cost democratised genetic research, compressing decades of work into years.
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Question 1 of 1What makes germline editing ethically controversial compared to somatic gene therapy?