Rewriting The Human Genome
Channel: New York Hall Of Science
Date: 21/02/2018

Genome editing is a new type of engineering that has recently begun to be heavily looked into. Genome editing is when DNA is inserted, deleted, modified, or replaced inside of the genome of a living organism. Genome editing has come a long way since 2012 and the applications have been greatly developed. Let’s find out more about this!
First of all, the human genome is the complete set of nucleic acid sequences for humans. This is encoded as DNA inside the 23 chromosome pairs in our cell’s nuclei. Genome editing is usually accomplished inside a lab. Since 2012, scientists have been experimenting on many organisms, from plants to animals. They use many different engineered nucleases, which are also known as molecular scissors. Some molecular scissors are CRISPR-Cas9, ZFNs and TALENs. 
CRISPR-Cas9 which stands for clustered regularly inter spaced short palindromic repeats is one of the incredibly useful molecular scissors. Researchers have been using it to modify genes associated with sterility in A. gambiae, the vector for malaria. This could help to suppress A. gambiae populations which would in turn suppress malaria. There is also extensive research being conducted on using CRISPR-Cas9 to correct genetic mutations which cause genetic diseases such as Down syndrome Tuner syndrome and Klinefelter syndromes using gene therapy. This engineered nuclease can silence an entire chromosome or even delete the overexpressed gene!
There are many applications of genome editing. The advancement of this field of science will contribute to many fields of life sciences including studying gene functions in plants and animals to gene therapy within humans. Another possible application of genome editing is human advancement. Not only will genome editing allow for healthier babies, it is also possible to enhance people with genes from other organisms. This could allow for improved night vision and improved sense of smell. 
As with all innovative technological advancements, there has been much debate on the ethicalities of such a science. Some people say that genome editing could be a potential weapon of mass destruction because it could increase the risk of the creation of harmful biological agents. There is also some concern about the ecological risk of releasing these gene drives into wild populations. Despite many concerns about the drawbacks of genome editing, there are many people that believe genome editing research should continue to be pursued because of the benefits it could bring to society as a whole. Human genome editing is an incredibly huge field with infinite possibilities. It is going to be interesting to see how this area develops in the coming years.
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Sources:
https://www.horizondiscovery.com/gene-editing
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2121264-human-genome-editing-shouldnt-be-used-for-enhancement-yet/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/08/human-gene-editing-pro-con-opinions/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genome_editing#Applications
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Story and Script: Brandon
Director: San San 
Cam A: Brandon
Audio / Interviewer: Genesi
Editor: Dante
Lighting: Brandon
Talent: Rachel

Do you believe genome editing should be allowed?