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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, Insightful) by Gravis on Friday August 28 2015, @03:04PM
there are a lot of people in the world and despite the inventors intentions, there will always be some people who use it in a way that was never intended. the key here is not to forbid certain technology, it's to embrace it and learn as much as possible so that you can mitigate the bad effects of the careless. what we need to do is learn how DNA really works and then create technology to prevent it's corruption. we might even have to change what humans are in order to do it! having DNA that does a better job of preventing mutation/alteration would solve our problems with cancer. having an immune system that's actually intelligent would solve our problems with disease. so yes, while coal and gas are destroying us, it's forcing us to create better energy generation and storage systems. do you really want to go back to horses and candles or would you prefer electric cars, solar power and maybe thorium/fusion reactors?
if we become masters of biology then we have no need to fear what someone may do with this technology.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Saturday August 29 2015, @01:22AM
In my heart of hearts I feel sure we do not have governments of sufficient wisdom to adjudicate on the potential that this and many other contemporary technologies are unlocking. The thought of CRISPR in the hands of the NSA or AT&T makes me shudder. That cannot be allowed. They are too corrupt, callous, and evil to be allowed to continue with the technologies that we already do have. They must all be swept away and replaced with something much better before we can proceed as a species with these new tools. Anything less is catastrophe.
Yes, it's magical thinking to say that. But it's also imperative.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Gravis on Saturday August 29 2015, @02:21AM
you should read up on your history because organizations with antics like the NSA and AT&T don't last.