Articles and Commentary

On May 10, about 130 scientists, entrepreneurs and others held an invitation-only event at Harvard. Organisers told invitees not to talk to the press and not to discuss pending publications related to the topic they were there to discuss. Wait...

The development of technology that allows human genes to be edited has stirred tremendous excitement about the potential for treating debilitating and life-threatening diseases. The technology could lead to drugs that would treat cancers and other diseases that currently are...

A new generation of genetic engineering techniques, collectively known as "gene editing," is being hailed as a game-changer in the life sciences. The highest-profile of the new methods, CRISPR, was developed just a few years ago and has already attracted...

Specter highlights exciting developments in the field of gene editing, but he is too quick to dismiss the shadow side. Writing that CRISPR “offers a new outlet for the inchoate fear of tinkering with the fundamentals of life” is an...

Now that we have the power to permanently alter humanity, should we?

This was the question at the heart of the International Summit on Human Gene Editing in Washington, D.C., last week, an event co-hosted by the U.S. National Academy...

An international summit on human gene editing drew hundreds of people to Washington DC for three days this week, with many more joining online. The meeting, which wrapped up on Thursday, was convened by the scientific academies of the United...

Should powerful new molecular engineering techniques be used to create genetically modified children? This is the question – literally, about the future of humanity – that’s been put on the near horizon by rapidly developing technology. Hundreds of people from...