George Church

George Church, a Professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, discusses embracing outliers, taking risks, and changing the world without caring about credit. He encourages aiming high, mentioning shooting for the stars to reach the moon. The conversation focuses on the importance of failure in achieving groundbreaking innovations and the value of collaboration and openness in the research field.

In this enlightening discussion, guest George Church—a pioneering geneticist and co-founder of numerous biotech companies—dives into the intersection of synthetic biology and climate solutions. He shares his vision for rewilding ecosystems and bio-mining to tackle global challenges. A bold concept of testing Mars colonies on Earth captivates listeners, while he emphasizes the need for innovative monitoring technologies in climate biotech. George's infectious curiosity shines as he breaks down the potential of engineered organisms and scalable biological solutions.

Dr. George Church is a trailblazer in genetics, known for his contributions to the Human Genome Project and gene editing. In this conversation, he shares revolutionary ideas on rewriting genomes to combat diseases and aging. He discusses the potential of CRISPR technology and highlights innovations like the Vertebrate Genomes Project and AI tools like AlphaFold. Church also addresses ethical concerns in germline editing and explores fascinating concepts such as de-extinction and engineered organs for transplantation, reshaping our health and future.

A genetic disease runs in your family. Your doctor tells you that, should you wish to have a child, that child is likely to also carry the disease. But a new gene-editing technology could change your fate. It could ensure that your baby is -- and remains -- healthy. What do you do? It’s is not without its perils. Critics say the technology will exacerbate inequality, pressure all parents (and nations) into editing their children to stay competitive, and meddle with the most basic aspect of our humanity. So, should we use gene editing to make better babies?  Arguing in favor of the motion is geneticist George Church and futurist Amy Webb. Arguing against the motion is policy advocate Marcy Darnovsky and philosopher Françoise Baylis. Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vanguard geneticist Dr. George Church discusses his pioneering work in genomics and synthetic biology, including DNA sequencing and CRISPR gene editing. He shares controversial ideas about resurrecting wooly mammoths and using genome sequencing in dating apps. Dr. Church emphasizes the potential for synthetic biology and genetics to transform medicine and society, and explores the impact of AI on biology, including protein and nucleic acid design. The chapter also delves into the democratization of gene editing and AI technology and the importance of ethics and protocols.