Rewriting nature: The promise and peril of gene editing wildlife to save it

[One] of the world’s largest conservation groups will weigh in on how … gene-editing tools should be used to aid the planet’s declining ecosystems and threatened species — and, critically, whether genetically modified plants and animals should be allowed into the wild.

At the heart of the debate is a proposed moratorium, sponsored by a coalition of environmental groups at a meeting of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), that would temporarily ban scientists from releasing genetically modified species into the wild. They’re preaching precaution.

On the other side are scientists and conservation groups who argue that everything should be on the table in the fight against worsening rates of extinction. That includes synthetic biology — the catch-all term used for a suite of genetic tools that scientists use to alter or engineer living cells.

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Skeptics of synthetic biology argue the science is unproven. It’s not clear if genetically modified species will survive and thrive in the wild because it hasn’t been tested. It’s unknown if well-intentioned modifications could have negative impacts on the species and their broader ecosystems. 

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