>>> THE SURGERY WILL WORK SAFELY
AS INTENDED.
>> ON YOUTUBE THIS SURGEON
CLAIMS HE DID SOMETHING NO OTHER
SCIENTIST IN THE WORLD HAS.
>> THE TWO CAME CRYING INTO THE
WORLD AS HEALTHY AS ANY OTHER
BABIES A FEW WEEKS AGO.
>> TWIN GIRLS HE SAYS FROM AN
EMBEEIO THAT WAS GENETICALLY
EDITED, PART OF A SPIRIT AIMED
AT PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM EVER
CATCHING HIV.
A TECHNOLOGY USED CRISPR WAS
USED THAT ALLOWS HIV TO ENTER A
CELL.
BUT THE APPROACH, RESTRICTED IN
THE U.S. AND MUCH OF EUROPE,
DREW AN INTERNATIONAL OUTCRY.
>> WOW.
THAT WAS FROM A 2018 "NIGHTLY
NEWS" REPORT THAT AIRED THE DAY
AFTER HE ANNOUNCED HE USED
CRISPR TECHNOLOGY TO GENETICALLY
MODIFY HUMAN TWINS.
THIS WEEK WE’RE DISCUSSING THE
REVOLUTIONARY BREAKTHROUGH AND
ONE OF THE NOBEL PRIZE-WINNING
SCIENTISTS WHO DISCOVERED IT.
JOINING US NOW IS THE
PROFESSOR’S BIOGRAPHER AT TULANE
UNIVERSITY, WALTER ISAACSON.
HIS NEW BOOK IS TITLED "THE CODE
BREAKER: GENE EDITING AND THE
FUTURE OF THE HUMAN RACE."
ALSO WITH US CARL ZIMMER, AUTHOR
OF "GENETICS: SHE HAS HER
MOTHER’S LAST" AND A NEW BOOK
"LIFE’S EDGE: THE SHOULD FOR
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ALIVE."
AND WALTER, I WILL START WITH
YOU, WHAT ARE THE QUESTIONS THIS
TECHNOLOGY IS PUTTING OUT THERE
GIVEN THAT IT CAN BE DONE?
>> WELL, WHEN THE CHINESE
SCIENTISTS DECIDED TO MAKE EDITS
IN AN EMBRYO THAT MEANS IT WILL
BE PART OF THE SPECIES FOREVER,
WE WERE EMBROILED BUT AFTER THE
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC WHAT HE DID
IS TRIED TO ELIMINATE A SUSS
CENTER THAT WAS SUSCEPTIBLE TO
VIRUSES.
I STI THINK IT WAS BAD, SLOPPY
EXPERIMENT, PREMATURE BUT WE
HAVE TO OPEN OUR MINDS A LITTLE
BIT, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO AS
A SPECIES TO PROTECT OURSELVES.
THEY HAVE BEEN USING CRISPER FOR
YEAR TO FIGHT VIRUSES AND MAYBE
WE NEED TO ASK THE QUESTION,
WHAT WOULD WE USE GENE EDITING
TO DO?
MAKE US HEALTHIER, STOP SICKLE
CELL AMINA, PHI PRO SIS,FIBROSIS
LIKE THAT?
ONE THING IS LET’S NO DO EDITS
UNTIL WE KNOW THEY’RE SAFE.
ANOTHER THING, LET’S NOT LET THE
RICH BUY GENES FOR 24IRTHEIR
CHILDREN, JUST FOR HEALTH
PURPOSES ONLY, NOT TO MAKE THEM
TALLER OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
THAT’S WHERE YOU GET INTO
SOMETHING SOCIALLY DANGEROUS.
>> KARL, WHAT ARE THE EXISTING
ETHICS AROUND THIS NOW?
IN OTHER WORDS, WHO MAKES THE
RULES FOR THIS AND DRAWS THE
LINES WALTER IS TALKING ABOUT.
AS YOU KNOW MUCH BETTER THAN
MOST OF US, THERE ARE PEOPLE
ALREADY, RICH PEOPLE, WHO ARE
SEEKING OUT THIS KIND OF GENE
EDITING SAYING I WANT TO LIVE TO
BE 120 OR I WANT TO LIVE
FOREVER, WHATEVER YOU CAN DO FOR
ME, HOW DO THEY HANDLE ETHICS IN
THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES?
WHO DRAWS THE LINES?
>> THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY IS
TRYING TO PUT FORWARD SOME
STANDARDS BUT IT REALLY COMES
DOWN TO WHAT ARE THE GOVERNMENTS
GOING TO DO?
IT’S REALLY A PATCHWORK.
THERE ARE SOME COUNTRIES, FOR
EXAMPLE, COMPLETELY PROHIBIT
THIS TINKERING WITH THE GERM
LINE.
SOME COUNTRIES HAVE NO POLICIES
AT ALL.
EVEN IF ONE COUNTRY DOES A GOOD
JOB OF CONTROLLING THIS, THOSE
RICH PEOPLE YOU MENTIONED, THEY
CAN JUST FLY TO ANOTHER COUNTRY
AND GET THEIR TREATMENT WHEREVER
THEY WANT.