A world void of malaria, Lyme disease, and dengue fever sounds almost utopian. Michael Specter of The New Yorker explains, in artistic detail, how CRISPR gene editing could help eradicate transmittable diseases. Scientists have long thought that gene drives, a way of altering DNA to propagate a desired trait across an entire species, could be employed to make pandemic diseases a distant memory. Following the work of modern scientists, Specter reveals how open dialogue between scientists and the public could open the way for deploying gene drives outside of the lab and into the wild.
Rewriting the Code of Life
The New Yorker | Michael Specter | January 2, 2017
Michael Specter joins NPR’s Fresh Air to discuss his article and explain the promises and perils of gene drives.
New Gene-Editing Techniques Hold the Promise Of Altering The Fundamentals Of Life
Fresh Air | January 12, 2017