Scientists say it may be “morally acceptable” to create genetically modified babies in the future and say it is “essential” that they are allowed to experiment on embryos.<\/p>\n
So why is this suddenly an issue and what could it mean for society?<\/p>\n
Well it is like a normal baby, but one that has been modified by altering their DNA – which is the blueprint for building a person.<\/p>\n
Your DNA blueprint is far from perfect. Lots of diseases such as cystic fibrosis,<\/a>bubble boy syndrome<\/a> (Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease) and the blood disorder beta thalassaemia<\/a> are down to bad instructions in your DNA.<\/p>\n These defects could be corrected.<\/p>\n But a baby could in theory also be engineered to resist diseases. A single mutation can protect against HIV infection and there are also sections of your DNA which increase the risk of cancer which could also be altered.<\/p>\n Then there’s the far more distant prospect of making alterations to alter height, beauty, hair colour or intelligence.<\/p>\n Nobody is on the cusp of doing this.<\/p>\n However, genetic engineering is progressing at a phenomenal pace and scientists say it is important to discuss what is acceptable now, rather than wait until someone crosses an ethical line.<\/p>\n Earlier this year Chinese scientists corrected the defect causing beta thalassaemia in embryos (they were then destroyed rather than implanted).<\/p>\n A few years ago a new way of editing DNA was discovered. It has transformed research and is now being used by biology laboratories around the world, whether they’re working on plants, animals or human embryos.<\/p>\n The method combines a “molecular sat-nav” that travels to a precise location in our DNA with a pair of “molecular scissors” that cut it.<\/p>\n But that’s a simple description.<\/p>\nWhoa! Is this possible now?<\/h2>\n
Why are we talking about this now?<\/h2>\n
So what’s a more technical one?<\/h2>\n