Scientific and public uproar resulted when the Chinese scientist announced the births of the first human babies with heritable edits to their genes. A new documentary reexamines the saga.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on He Jiankui
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The scientist who announced the world’s first genome-edited twins received a prison sentence and a large fine for his research. But the systems that enabled him have not been held to account.
One year after the first CRISPR babies were announced, changes in policies and regulations have meant that there have been no new CRISPR announcements since.
A Russian scientist is preparing to do germline gene editing. Here’s why that’s a problem.
News of the gene-edited babies excludes images of the children’s mother. Cutting her out of the picture underscores the idea that the mother is obsolete and babies can be created in the lab.
CRISPR babies may be just the beginning. China has a different take than the West on ethics and how to get ahead in business and other endeavors.
In an era of big scientific collaborations, China’s renegade actions have hurt its reputation. As international researchers back away, it may be the country’s military that ultimately suffers.
To announce the world’s first gene-edited babies, scientist He Jiankui did what movie directors do: release a trailer on YouTube. The video is a positive spin on unauthorized gene editing.
Questions abound about whether the scientist who created the first gene edited human beings took shortcuts in the ethical oversight process. But pedantically focusing on protocol misses the point.
Chinese researcher He Jiankui told a spellbound audience how he created gene-edited babies. With a couple of revealing slides, we can see what he did and speculate what health problems might ensue.
The announcement of the birth of babies with edited genes has been met by a deluge of scientific and ethical criticism. Public discussion focuses on risks and benefits – was breaking this taboo worth it?
Top contributors
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Assistant Professor in Biomedical Ethics, National University of Singapore
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Distinguished Research Professor, Emerita, Dalhousie University
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Instructor, Oregon State University
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Director of the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, Arizona State University
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Professor of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University
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Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University
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Associate Professor of History, Nanyang Technological University
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Associate Professor of Life Sciences, Arizona State University
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Clinician Scientist and Consultant Haematologist, University of Oxford
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Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University
