Political scientist discusses regulatory gaps in assessing the impact of "gene drives"
Friday, July 18, 2014 - 06:00
in Biology & Nature
Imagine a scientific technique that would alter the genes of mosquitos to render them unable to transmit malaria. Some day, you may not need to: Scientists have made notable progress in recent years in editing the genomes of organisms, substituting in variants of certain genes; these variants could then propagate throughout a population. While such changes could have benefits—such as limiting malaria transmission—it's also possible to imagine unintended negative consequences.