The Powers and Possible Perils of Gene Editing

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Jennifer Doudna discusses how the technology she helped advance is treating diseases and raising ethical dilemmas.

Gene editing is a game-changer for humanity. From health on individuals to the fate of the planet, the possible impacts of the technology are something previously found only in science fiction. But as with all scientific advancements that supercharge human capabilities and power, the technology comes with ethical questions.

These possibilities and questions are at the core of this episode of the Crosscut Talks podcast. 

We’re listening in on a conversation between Nobel laureate and University of California Berkeley chemistry professor Jennifer Doudna and New York Times columnist and science writer Carl Zimmer as they discuss one of these technologies, CRISPR.  

Doudna, who won the Nobel for her work with gene editing technology, explains the fundamental science behind CRISPR, how it’s now being used by scientists to treat a wide range of diseases from HIV to sickle cell anemia, and where it might go from here.

This conversation was recorded May 3, 2023.

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Credits

Host: Paris Jackson

Producer: Seth Halleran

Event producers: Jake Newman, Anne O'Dowd

Engineers: Resti Bagcal, Viktoria Ralph

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