Genetically modified baby claims must be careful

EOn Monday morning, the reports began to circulate in one of China's most important breakthroughs. Due to the merits of the genre's editing, the twin girls were born with a fantastic superpower that seemed to be anti-HIV resistance.

Depending on your position, this result may be exciting or scary. Gene editing (and "designer babies") is a wonderful limit in scientific research, but the unpleasant echoes of the eukenist's horrors and Aldous Huxley's visual disturbance A brave new world.

However, when he made strong discussions, Professor He Jiankui and his assistants described their work, nowadays, their claims must be taken with a large salt.

Scientists say their genome for children born to their experiments has changed so they can not contract HIV, since only twin procedures provide full protection by changing target gene copies. It was a sensible purpose to produce children who did not have a life-changing lifestyle, about 37 million people around the world.

However, without the publication of academic journals and scientific results, we recommend that you refrain from verifying the truthfulness of the claims.

In fact, controversial areas such as gene editing and cloning have a long history that attracts charlatans and egotists to showcase the daring expressions they are glad they do not accept later in scientific evidence.

Among them, Hwang Woo-suk is a South Korean researcher. Since it was considered to be the pioneer of endless cells, when the spectacular fall of 2005 grace suffered, it created the embryo of the world's first embryo clones.

While others held a press conference, while claiming their data were protected, Severino Antinori made wild claims about cloning human beings, and the famous "head transplant" Sergio Canavero.

The Chinese team's experiment community's response was quicker and more consistent with the teacher, assimilating the category to the same mixers. When it was welcomed by some results, the announcement was designed to get the ads "negligent" and "the maximum debate and balance value". However, the team kept positive results (for now) does not exist.

This does not mean that experiments fall into the field of science fiction. Gene assembly is essential in human embryos and human embryos. The group at the Francis Crick Institute in London, alone, changed the first embryos to the United Kingdom for the first time, but these cells were limited to the lab. They were not brought to mother roots.

On the contrary, China was created as a western forest in the gene edition. The ethical restrictions that prevent Europe's and U.S. researchers from stopping scientifically from doing so are not what they are doing, scientists see Chinese scientists (good or bad).

There are dozens of Chinese hospitals with dozens of cancer and HIV in the genetically engineered cells, and in that context two twins are born the next inevitable logical step. The problem is that the genetic editing tools have proved to be a fantastic scientific innovation, but scientists have no control over their safety. Some people also recommend that they not have other options that can be used to treat severe genetic diseases, but HIV does not have a large wealth of preventative measures and treatments.

It can be seen that the teacher's claim must be of any kind, but the long-term impact and the side effects of this technology are unknown, although there are many questions that argue (and its actions) are morally questioned. .