Scientist Jailed for Gene Hacking Babies Says Ethics Are Holding Back Progress

^{public domain photo by Voice of America via Wikimedia Commons}

Back in 2019, Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui proudly announced to the world that he had created two genetically edited human babies, fully expecting a round of applause and three cheers of “Hip Hip Hooray.” Instead, everyone booed him and he got thrown in prison for three years.

He’s since been released from prison, though it doesn’t seem like he’s learned any lessons from his stint in the clink. This was demonstrated by a post on Twitter/X wherein he accompanied a soulless picture of himself in a tweet in which he says that “ethics is holding back scientific innovation and progress.”

Now, you might recognize that is the kind of thing a villain says before he splices into your DNA, unforeseen consequences be damned. Jiankui used CRISPR gene-editing technology to edit the DNA of a set of twins codenamed “Nana” and “Lulu” to make them immune to HIV. Sounds like a noble goal, until you find out that fiddling with those genes to make the girls immune to HIV could...