Throughout the series, many of the players anthropomorphize evolution, claiming evolution ‘did’ this or that.
But evolution is not a conscious entity.
Even if it were real, it could not do anything.
One person in the documentary even calls himself an ‘evolutionary engineer’,
somehow missing the fact that he mixed a theoretical and random process that has no purpose or design with a decidedly human process of intelligent design and creative thinking.
But there is one thing each viewer must remember: the feats of genetic engineering displayed in this series are clearly operational science. The procedures displayed do not directly rely on an evolutionary history or belief, no matter how often they refer to evolution.
At the center of all this activity is a new technology called CRISPR-Cas9. This enzyme system serves as sort of an immune system for
some bacterial species. They can take foreign DNA and stick a copy of it into their genome. This requires the ability to find a specific location in the genome, cut the DNA, insert the new DNA, and repair the cut.
At the center of all this activity is a new technology called CRISPR-Cas9. This enzyme system serves as sort of an immune system for
In the end, they accumulate short sections of viral DNA that together are referred to as ‘clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats’ (CRISPR). These were first discovered in the 1980s. Associated with CRISPRs are a set of genes called CRISPR associated systems (Cas). The proteins produced by these genes have helicase and nuclease motifs, meaning they appeared to have something to do with the DNA structure. They were first reported in 2003.
But in 2012 the world changed.
This was the year several researchers figured out how to use Cas9 as a way to manipulate any DNA they choose. Cas9 uses a guide RNA to ‘find’ a target location in the bacterial genome. The guide section literally sticks to complementary DNA. By changing this RNA, they were able to change the target. Then by changing the other end of the RNA, they were able to change what sequence would be inserted. This has given us an unbelievably powerful and accurate tool for genetic manipulation.
In 2015, the first reports of changing human DNA in cultured human cells were published. Then, to worldwide shock and almost universal condemnation, the birth of several CRISPR-edited babies was reported in China in 2018. The Chinese government rightly shut down the laboratory and the work they were performing. But two girls had already been born (and a third child was already on the way).
Thus, no longer is this a pipedream or the subject of sci-fi. The genetic manipulation of human DNA is a real thing, and the implications are huge. In a few short years, your doctor might sit you down to talk about a new treatment for some ailment you are experiencing. This treatment might just involve the use of CRISPR-Cas9, or something similar.
But in 2012 the world changed.
This was the year several researchers figured out how to use Cas9 as a way to manipulate any DNA they choose. Cas9 uses a guide RNA to ‘find’ a target location in the bacterial genome. The guide section literally sticks to complementary DNA. By changing this RNA, they were able to change the target. Then by changing the other end of the RNA, they were able to change what sequence would be inserted. This has given us an unbelievably powerful and accurate tool for genetic manipulation.
In 2015, the first reports of changing human DNA in cultured human cells were published. Then, to worldwide shock and almost universal condemnation, the birth of several CRISPR-edited babies was reported in China in 2018. The Chinese government rightly shut down the laboratory and the work they were performing. But two girls had already been born (and a third child was already on the way).
Thus, no longer is this a pipedream or the subject of sci-fi. The genetic manipulation of human DNA is a real thing, and the implications are huge. In a few short years, your doctor might sit you down to talk about a new treatment for some ailment you are experiencing. This treatment might just involve the use of CRISPR-Cas9, or something similar.
But there is a moral hazard here.
Q: Will you remember to ask the doctor how many embryos were destroyed or how many babies were selectively aborted in order to develop this new procedure?"
CMI
