While so many have been busy lamenting the election, getting distracted by some award show or cheering for their favorite sports team… The last 12 months have been incredible for genetic engineering! That’s mostly due to a new technology called CRISPR—an easy, cheap, and very precise way to “edit” the DNA of living cells.

Bio-ethicists have been working overtime to figure out how to handle CRISPR, the revolutionary gene-editing technique that could potentially prevent some diseases, but could also be used for cosmetic enhancements and lead to permanent, heritable changes in the human species (think resistance to enviroment, increased strength, heightened intelligence, more powerful eyesight, etc).

Most ethicists come out strongly against any use of CRISPR for cosmetic enhancements, such as increased strength or intelligence but as we all know- the super wealthy think for themselves (Billionaires like Sergei Brim of Google and Larry Ellison of Oracle are already on record saying they’d like to ‘abolish death’). The report argues that gene editing in humans should come only “after broad public discussion”🙄.

The national academies did not recommend though, prohibition of gene editing on the human “germline.” Those are changes to eggs, sperm or embryos that could be inherited by future generations. In other words- “YOU can’t have super-athleticism, no, but what we can do- for a price, is let you insert it into your great grandchild”.

For some ethicists, that represents a slippery slope, since one day, gene editing might be used to avoid terrifying genetic conditions like Huntington’s disease or muscular dystrophy. Or maybe, as critics fear, it will lead to armies of blue-eyed super-intelligent babies.

To understand what gene editing is capable of, look no further than the way scientists are already changing animals. The list of genetically modified creatures already includes flies, worms, ferrets, and even beagles engineered in China to be extra muscular.  Last month, biologists in California created mosquitoes that not only resist malaria but spread this trait to other mosquitoes. One project worth paying attention to is the effort by a startup called Recombinetics to engineer dairy cows so they don’t have any horns. The first two cows produced in this way posed for their first photo shoot last month.

The hornless dairy cows they’ve now created show that you can take highly desirable genes from animals and move them to other members of their species. The world is “moo”ving fast😀

But what should keep you UP at night is the sheer accessibility. You can order the components online for $60—that it is putting the power of genetic engineering into the hands of many more scientists. But the next wave of users could be at-home hobbyists. This year, developers of a do-it-yourself genetic engineering kit began offering it for $700, less than the price of some computers! The trend could lead to an explosion of innovation—or it COULD lead to dangerous, uncontrolled experiments by newbies. Watch out, millionaires.

How does it feel to live in “the future”? Are you in favor of using these tools, or do you believe they’ll be used to help the ruling class reign forever? Comment below and tell us whether you think this is a positive thing, a scary thing or just too early to call.

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