- Joined
- Oct 6, 2014
- Messages
- 1,424 (0.41/day)
System Name | octo1 |
---|---|
Processor | dual Xeon 2687W ES |
Motherboard | Supermicro |
Cooling | dual Noctua NH-D14 |
Memory | generic ECC reg |
Video Card(s) | 2 HD7950 |
Storage | generic |
Case | Rosewill Thor |
The discovery of the CRISR/CAS9 method of editing DNA has given rise a number of possible applications including repairing genetic diseases. But it can also be used to edit the DNA of sperm and egg cells as well as the cells that create them. That means genetically engineered humans, made to order.
While the technique is still far from perfect, it's only a matter of time before it becomes good enough to use to created enhanced humans.
edit: see the original article for a simple explanation of how the technique works.
Sci-fi novels and films like Gattaca no longer have a monopoly on genetically engineered humans. Real research scripts about editing the human genome are now appearing in scientific and medical journals. But the reviews are mixed.
In Gattaca, nearly everyone was genetically altered, their DNA adjusted to prevent disease, enhance intelligence and make them look good. Today, only people treated with gene therapy have genetically engineered DNA. But powerful new gene editing tools could expand the scope of DNA alteration, forever changing humans' genetic destiny.
Not everyone thinks scientists should wield that power. Kindling the debate is a report by scientists from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, who have edited a gene in fertilized human eggs, called zygotes. The team used new gene editing technology known as the CRISPR/Cas9 system. That technology can precisely snip out a disease-causing mutation and replace it with healthy DNA. CRISPR/Cas9 has edited DNA in stem cells and cancer cells in humans. Researchers have also deployed the molecules to engineer other animals, including mice and monkeys (SN Online: 3/31/14; SN: 3/8/14, p. 7). But it had never before been used to alter human embryos.
While the technique is still far from perfect, it's only a matter of time before it becomes good enough to use to created enhanced humans.
edit: see the original article for a simple explanation of how the technique works.