Crispr and the Spectre of Eugenics

There are no more children with Down Syndrome in Iceland. At least, almost none.  Depending on where you are in the world, and when in time, a certain explanation might come to mind.  Were this the mid-20th century, or in several authoritarian regimes around the world, we might expect that this result was achieved through […]

What Gene-editing in China Reveals About Progress and Risk

On November 25, 2018, a Chinese researcher by the name of He Jiankui released a video of himself detailing the process through which he edited the genes of a set of twin girls. Against the backdrop of various scientific instruments and with a disarming smile, He reveals how his lab deleted the CCR5 gene in […]