Video: As medicine and agriculture increasingly embrace gene editing, should the public be concerned?

Technologies such as genetic modification and ‘CRISPR’ will cure hereditary diseases, produce disease-resistant crops and enable the breeding of malaria-free mosquitos. But advances bring ethical and practical dilemmas. Genetically modified food is banned in the EU, and doctors worry that screening for genetic diseases may pave the way for more controversial uses, such as creating so-called designer babies. This film looks at the risks and rewards of gene editing.

Mis- and disinformation are distorting science and public policy. Subscribe to our Daily and Weekly Digests for incisive coverage of ‘disruptive’ innovations in AI, agricultural biotechnology, food, chemicals, nuclear energy, vaccines, and other disruptive innovations.

See the original post here.

Related Articles

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Does glyphosate—the world's most heavily-used herbicide—pose serious harm to humans? Is it carcinogenic? Those issues are of both legal and ...

Most Popular

Screenshot-2026-11-05-at-1.20.54-PM
$7.35 billion PFAS settlement: 3M to pay people who blame health problems on ‘forever chemicals’ phased out of firefighting foam for more than 20 years
ChatGPT-Image-Mar-10-2026-01_39_01-PM
Viewpoint—“Miracle molecule” debunked: Why acemannan supplements don’t work
Wave Crest Over Red Cross
Viewpoint: Here are the election-inspired Trump administration healthcare policy reversals expected in the coming months
Democratic Donkey Plowing at Sunset
Viewpoint: Democratic tsunami: As the red tide recedes, here are the most likely shifts in food and agricultural policy
Crumbling MAHA Stage Portrait
Cataloging the RFK Jr.-MAHA crushing midterm collapse
Blue Checklist in Centered Hand
Viewpoint: From Medicaid cuts to MAHA-backed anti-vaccine and chemical hysteria, voters reject Republicans’ science-skeptical agenda
Aerial Sprayer Over Gradient Fields
Farming, food, and chemicals: Post-midterms, the MAHA alliance between Democrats and MAGA Republicans is bruised but not cowed. What comes next?
p22_spraying_2
How climate change is driving increased pesticide usage
Microscopic IVF Egg Injection
With technical barriers to human embryo editing falling, ethical concerns escalate
Hipster eugenics: better babies for billionaires
Viewpoint: “Positive eugenics”: Reviving a movement reviled and condemned for a century
Reaching Through the Woven Sky
Challenging genetic modification rejectionists: Our evolving food system has relied on science for thousands of years
Bayer Crop Circle in Golden Wheat
Making fertilizer from thin air: Bayer’s gene-editing innovation could dramatically cut chemical fertilizer use in growing food
Picture1
Viewpoint: How badly is the U.S. food-safety net fraying? FDA’s bungled handling of the tainted lettuce crisis deepens concerns over cuts to disease tracking and response
Screenshot-2026-11-05-at-2.47.29-PM
Collagen supplements are not a wrinkle-reducing silver bullet, but they sure cost a lot
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.