Name: It's time to question bio-engineering
Uploaded: 2011-03-23T14:38:00Z
Duration: 19 min 25 s
Description: Glowing dogs ... mice that grow human ears ... bioethicist Paul Root Wolpe describes an astonishing series of recent bio-engineering experiments, and asks: Isn't it time to set some ground rules?

Paul Root Wolpe: It's time to question bio-engineering

It's time to question bio-engineering

Glowing dogs ... mice that grow human ears ... bioethicist Paul Root Wolpe describes an astonishing series of recent bio-engineering experiments, and asks: Isn't it time to set some ground rules?

Humans are entering a new era where we can directly design and alter animal and even human bodies, not just influence evolution by changing our environment. From glowing kittens created with jellyfish genes to mice that grow human ears, biotechnology is producing creatures and capabilities once thought impossible. Government oversight lags far behind these advances, leaving society unprepared for their ethical and practical implications. The era of intentional evolution demands urgent, collective reflection on the responsibilities it brings.