Video Review: Talking Biopolitics – A conversation with Paul Knoepfler and Nathaniel Comfort
By Dr. Rebecca Dimond,
BioNews
| 02. 01. 2016
Untitled Document
On 26 January 2016, the Center for Genetics and Society hosted an online discussion on 'Exploring heritable genetic modification: the promise and perils of altering future humans'. Paul Knoepfler, author of the 2015 book 'GMO Sapiens: The Life-Changing Science of Designer Babies', was interviewed by science historian Nathaniel Comfort.
I was looking forward to this webinar. The discussion was timely, following the passing of legislation on mitochondrial donation in the UK in 2015, and amid current debates about gene-editing technologies, such as CRISPR. Introducing the conversation, Marcy Darnovsky told the audience that genetic modification is 'now with us', a thought she described as both lively and sobering. Knoepfler's views about these developments are well known – during the UK mitochondrial donation debates, he contributed evidence to the scientific reviews, was mentioned at the House of Commons and House of Lords and hosts his own popular blog. He recently tweeted that he was 'excited about genetic modification' but was also cautious about 'talk of clinic use'.
Much of the conversation focused on the risks and benefits of...
Related Articles
Not the species, certainly, but the Institute of that name, which was founded by transhumanist philosopher Nick Bostrom in 2005 as a research group at Oxford University. According to a recently posted Final Report, its goal was “to pursue the big questions in a transdisciplinary way” by pulling together “researchers from disciplines such as philosophy, computer science, mathematics, and economics.” This evolved before long into the study and promotion of “effective altruism” and “longtermism” as...
By Yelena Biberman and Jonathan D. Moreno, Bioethics Forum | 04.16.2024
A quiet biological revolution in warfare is underway. The genome is emerging as a new domain of conflict. The level of destruction that only nuclear weapons could previously achieve is fast becoming as accessible as a cyberattack.
Now for the...
By Tristan Manalac, BioSpace | 04.02.2024
Verve Therapeutics has suspended enrollment in the Phase Ib Heart-1 study evaluating its lead gene editing program VERVE-101 following a serious adverse event, the company announced Tuesday.
A patient, who received a 0.45-mg/kg dose of VERVE-101, developed a grade 3...
By Timnit Gebru and Émile P. Torres, First Monday | 04.14.2024
The stated goal of many organizations in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) is to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI), an imagined system with more intelligence than anything we have ever seen. Without seriously questioning whether such a system can...