CRISPR: The future or undoing of humanity? | Walter Isaacson | Big Think Video by
The idea of gene editing was once a thing of the future – but today it’s saving the lives of people all over the world. CRISPR is a gene editing system that bacteria have been using for a billion years. When a virus attacks the bacteria, this system takes a ‘mug shot,’ and wraps the virus into our code. If the same virus ever attacks again, your body now knows to ‘cut off’ the virus before it can cause harm.
But accompanied with 21st century tech, that’s no longer all CRISPR can do. Scientists have since learned how to repurpose this system so we’re not only killing off dangerous bacteria, but also cutting our own DNA, wherever we tell it to, to edit our genes.
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Is gene editing something we need to worry about? Some scientists think so. If we move too fast and over indulge in this technology, it’s possible that we could be making permanent changes to the human species. But as of today, CRISPR is being used for good – editing genes in the people living with chronic diseases, helping patients around the world live healthy, normal lives.
