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The advent of enzyme complex CRISPR/Cas9 has ushered in a new age of genetic manipulation—it could help us cure diseases or resuscitate extinct species. One of CRISPR’s big advantages is that it’s much easier to use than its predecessors. So easy, in fact, that amateur biohackers are using it in their experiments, according to a report from Nature News.
It’s natural to be nervous about this. CRISPR is a powerful tool that scientists don’t fully understand, and it can have unintended consequences even when used cautiously. Ever since April, when a team of Chinese researchers published their findings after using CRISPR to change the genes of human embryos, the discussion has reached a fever pitch. Experts have been discussing the issue of consent (embryos can’t consent to having their genes manipulated, and the effects could be passed down for generations), the consequences of introducing an unintended change, and the effects on the ecosystem should a genetically manipulated animal break free from the lab.
http://www.popsci.com/biohackers-are-now-using-crispr
Article at Nature
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Phoenix666 on Friday August 28 2015, @01:22PM
That assumes that the current available gene pool is static and unchanging, which it most certainly is not. DNA from viruses, mutations from environmental contaminants (for the widest possible definition of "contaminant"), and changes induced by epigenetics are occurring all the time. With CRISPR and its successors we humans might for once have a conscious say in the direction in which that's going to proceed. Now, there's still a great deal we don't know about gene expression, but as CRISPR opens the door to mistakes so does it also open the door to greater understanding, because it shortens the feedback loop between test and analysis.
As to societal responses to the challenges of CRISPR, I wouldn't worry about it for now. 30+ years into the Information Revolution and only now are the implications beginning to sink in for public policy, and they still haven't got a clue how to respond. When you think about how apt they are likely to be when CRISPR and 3D printing and carbon nanotubes/graphene and renewable energy kick in, it makes you chuckle.
Me, I'd be first in line to volunteer to be a GMO human. Then, I'd also be first in line to be a cyborg.
Washington DC delenda est.