genetics

Human gene editing is too transformative to be guided by the few
Human gene editing is too transformative to be guided by the few 275 183 Jamie Metzl
My editorial from today’s (3/18/19) Financial Times: Far sooner than most people realise, the genetics revolution will transform the world within and around us — and we are not remotely ready for what’s coming. Yet we must be, to optimise the benefits and minimise the potential harms of genetic technologies. read more

Gene editing of human embryos
Gene editing of human embryos 600 220 Jamie Metzl

You may have seen today’s New York Times article describing how scientists have for the first time successfully edited genes in unimplanted human embryos. As the article notes: “Scientists at Oregon…

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Homo Sapiens 2.0? We Need a Species-Wide Conversation on the Future of Human Genetic Enhancement
Homo Sapiens 2.0? We Need a Species-Wide Conversation on the Future of Human Genetic Enhancement 230 219 Jamie Metzl

In my article in TechCrunch, released today, I call for a species-wide conversation on the future of human genetic enhancement. Such a dialogue has never before been carried out. We…

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Has the Genetic Arms Race Begun?
Has the Genetic Arms Race Begun? 150 150 Jamie Metzl
Articles in Nature yesterday and in today’s New York Times describe the controversial recent announcement by a Chinese researcher that he has used cutting edge precision gene editing techniques (CRISPR-cas9) on non-viable human embryos.  It is rumored that the results of more research like this will be announced from China in the coming months. Every day we are receiving more evidence like this that the human genetic revolution, with its massive scientific, ethical, political, and national security implications, has already begun. read more

The Genetic Age Began on February 3, 2015
The Genetic Age Began on February 3, 2015 150 150 Jamie Metzl

I believe that future generations will look back at yesterday’s vote in the British Parliament authorizing mitochondrial transfer treatment for mothers undergoing IVF as the beginning of the human genetic…

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Would I Genetically Enhance My Own Children?
Would I Genetically Enhance My Own Children? 150 150 Jamie Metzl
When someone at a Los Angeles book event asked me a personal question, I was already disarmed, exposed, and predisposed to a more personal answer. “Would you genetically enhance your own children?” read more

Our Conversation of Genetic Modification must be Evidence-Based
Our Conversation of Genetic Modification must be Evidence-Based 150 150 Jamie Metzl
Marcy Darnovsky’s call to arms against “radical biological procedures,” namely mitochondrial transfer from the eggs of a woman with healthy mitochondria to replace the diseased mitochondria of an aspiring mother, in her New York Times editorial today [linked here] goes too far. read more
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