Name: What you need to know about CRISPR
Uploaded: 2016-10-03T15:12:14Z
Duration: 9 min 43 s
Description: Should we bring back the wooly mammoth? Or edit a human embryo? Or wipe out an entire species that we consider harmful? The genome-editing technology CRISPR has made extraordinary questions like these legitimate -- but how does it work? Scientist and community lab advocate Ellen Jorgensen is on a mission to explain the myths and realities of CRISPR, hype-free, to the non-scientists among us.

Ellen Jorgensen: What you need to know about CRISPR

What you need to know about CRISPR

Should we bring back the wooly mammoth? Or edit a human embryo? Or wipe out an entire species that we consider harmful? The genome-editing technology CRISPR has made extraordinary questions like these legitimate -- but how does it work? Scientist and community lab advocate Ellen Jorgensen is on a mission to explain the myths and realities of CRISPR, hype-free, to the non-scientists among us.

CRISPR has sparked intense debate, allowing scientists to contemplate editing human embryos and even reviving extinct species. The technology works by using a modular system to target precise spots in DNA, making gene editing much faster and less expensive than before. Yet, despite the hype around being 'easy' and 'cheap,' real-world applications still require professional labs, complex know-how, and careful oversight. Society plays a crucial role in guiding how such transformative tools are developed and used.