Imagine in the near future having the ability to take snippets of your DNA, or genetic material, and change it. Changing the genetic sequences in our DNA will cause changes in our physical appearance and maybe even helping with curing some genetically caused diseases. As discussed in the International Summit on Human Gene Editing: A Global Discussion. This shows about the different types of things that we can use to edit some genes and change them or remove them. As mentioned by this discussion some of the tools used are CRISPR-Cas9 and TALENs, CRISPR-Cas9 was the later made tool and is backed with over 60 years of research experience at their backs.
As professor David Balitmor of California Institute of Technology says “We could be on the cusp of a new era in human history”. Even though it is good and can be helpful Marcy Darnovsky (Center for Genetics and Society) warns that; “Human germline gene editing, if it were to be implemented, would affect and alter not just future human beings but also alter future human societies, perhaps profoundly so,” she said. “It is a radical rupture with past human practices.”
The world of genetics keeps evolving and growing so much and it is always aimed to work for the better of humanity, so think about it, in the future you could just change your genetics a bit for the betterment of yourself!
By Tvesha Patel ‘27, Science Editor
27tpatel@montroseschool.org