A landmark study in the UK discovered the gene that allows cells to form into embryos. If Australian researchers attempted this they could go to jail for 15 years.
Bioterrorism exercise.
Oregon National Guard/Flickr
With rapid advances in gene editing, states signed up to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention need to do more to prevent CRISPR from becoming a dangerous weapon.
Harvard’s recent CRISPR experiment isn’t just a new frontier for science – it’s also a new take on how we conceive of human history.
gopixa/Shutterstock.com
The CRISPR gene-editing technique raises new questions about how we measure time and conceptualise history. Here, a cultural theorist takes on the philosophical side of this scientific breakthrough.
With all these ‘test-tube babies’ grown up, how have our reactions to the technology evolved?
AP Photo/Alastair Grant
Americans have moved on from worrying about ‘test-tube babies’ – but there are still ethical challenges to resolve as reproductive technologies continue to advance.
Nobel laureate David Baltimore of CalTech speaks to reporters at a 2015 summit on the safety and ethics of human gene-editing.
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Ability expectations are what people rely upon as they seek out productive and satisfying lives. They need to be a key part of the debate over gene-editing and other major scientific breakthroughs.
Gene drives aim to deliberately spread bad genes when invasive species such as mice reproduce.
Colin Robert Varndell/shutterstock.com
Releasing just 100 mice carrying a faulty gene designed to stop them reproducing can remove an entire population of 50,000, a new study shows, paving the way for new eradication efforts.
Just because we can edit genes in human embryos, should we?
Andrii Vodolazhskyi/shutterstock
A world first study shows CRISPR can remove a target gene from early stage human embryos. But with the advance in science come weighty ethical dilemmas.
Controversial gene editing should not proceed without citizen input and societal consensus.
(Shutterstock)
A team in the U.S. is said to have safely and effectively altered human embryos. The news is a reminder that citizens must be consulted on developments potentially affecting the future of the species.
There’s still a way to go from editing single-cell embryos to a full-term ‘designer baby.’
ZEISS Microscopy
The news may have come as a surprise, but it probably shouldn't have. A bioethics expert walks through how big a deal this announcement is – and what we should be considering now.
Laboratory mice are among the first animals to have their diseases treated by CRISPR.
tiburi via Pixabay.com
A new research paper reports dangerous side effects in CRISPR-edited mice. Some scientists are pushing back, placing blame for the unwanted mutations on the experiment, not the technique.
Precision editing DNA allows for some amazing applications.
Ian Haydon
Researchers are starting to harness the potential of this much-hyped gene editing technique – with coming applications in medicine, biology and agriculture.
Taking the deadly bit out of mosquitoes.
Flickr/Erik F Brandsborg
It's possible to alter the make-up of a species such as a mosquito's ability to pass on the deadly malaria parasite. But we need to consider the pros and cons of such gene editing technology.
Human oocyte in vitro fertilization.
Ziess Microscopy/Flickr
Controversy over a Chinese study that used CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology shows how the West still looks at the East through the lens of Orientalism.
Gene editing technology may soon prevent the formation of sickle-shaped red blood cells in a common and deadly form of anaemia.
Shutterstock/Uber Images
Regulations, funding and public opinion around genetically enhancing future generations vary from country to country. Here's why China may be poised to be the pioneer.
Somatic embryogenesis is only used in selected agroforestry industries like sugarcane.
Shutterstock
Look beyond transgenic techniques that add new genes to a species. People have used selective breeding techniques to change plants and animals for millennia – why not try them on mosquitoes?
A patent has far-reaching implications for future research.
ReubenGBrewer
U.C. Berkeley and the Broad Institute are fighting to control the patents on the revolutionary gene-editing technology. But there's a lot more at stake than just who gets the credit and licensing fees.
Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford
