If you saw Jurassic World then you probably remember a nasty mutant by the name of Indominus Rex: a custom-made dinosaur with a nasty temper and a hankering for human flesh. That's all fiction, right? It is—for now.
A new genetic engineering tool known as CRISPR (read about it here) has scientists both excited and apprehensive about its potential application. CRISPR makes genetic editing easier than ever, and while this relative ease could lead to profoundly important medical breakthroughs, there's the very real potential of it being abused. There's not much government oversight to prevent it, either.
Scientists R. Alta Charo and Henry T. Greely examined five potentially problematic CRISPR abuse scenarios in "CRISPR Critters and CRISPR Cracks", an article published in recent issue of The American Journal of Bioethics. Among more prosaic possibilities (GMO fish, etc.), Charo and Greely warn that CRISPR could open the door for private individuals to create genetic chimeras, like dragon-like reptiles and unicorns, and to even "de-extinct" creatures like wooly mammoths.
Pretty weird, nerdy stuff, right? You don't know the half of it: Charo and Greely clearly know their science-fiction, and they drop references to the work of authors Robert A. Heinlein and Lois McMaster Bujold throughout their article. That's the interesting thing about science and science-fiction: the two inspire each other. Ready for a little inspiration of your own? Read "CRISPR Critters and CRISPR Cracks" here.
H/T: Vice.com
