Chinese scientist’s gene-editing reveals imminent danger
Posted by Josh Taylor / January 24, 2019
Two months ago, a Chinese scientist revealed that he had created the world’s first genetically engineered babies. With that announcement, The Brave New World became reality––Gattaca became reality. While the dystopian futures depicted in these fictional stories have not yet come to fruition in the world, and they may never, Dr. He Jiankui’s announcement suggests that we’ve crossed a point of no return, and from now on we will have to actively avoid such realities from coming to pass.
Such genetic tinkering is not only worrisome to paranoid types like me. The Chinese government has threatened to deal with Dr. He “seriously:”
The behavior of He Jiankui volated “scientific research integrity and relevant state regulations causing adverse effects at home and abroad,” the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.
The Southern University of Science and Technology also announced on Monday the cancellation of He’s teaching contract and research. He had been on unpaid leave at the school since February 2018.
Some scientists want a yearslong moratorium on creating pregnancies with gene-edited human embryos. Others say a moratorium would be too restrictive, or unenforceable. Some think scientific journals should agree not to publish embryo-editing research. Others consider that misguided or ineffective.
More science.
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