CGS in the News

Bay Area Startups Want to Make Genetically Engineered Babies. What Could Go Wrong?

By Grace Won, KQED Forum [with CGS' Katie Hasson] | 12.02.2025

In the U.S., it’s illegal to edit genes in human embryos with the intention of creating a genetically engineered baby. But according to the Wall Street Journal, Bay Area startups are focused on just that. It wouldn’t be the first...

Genetic Selection

Developments in gene-editing technology raise new ethical questions

By [cites CGS' Katie Hasson], KCBS Radio | 11.19.2025

This is Ask An Expert, where every weekday at 9:20am, KCBS Radio is giving you direct access to top experts in various fields. Today: Gene-editing technology allows scientists to work with DNA in unprecedented ways, but there are larger scientific...

U.S. Federal
An incomplete puzzle featuring an image of a double helix, with several pieces scattered around the puzzle.

Gene Editing for ‘Designer Babies’? Highly Unlikely, Scientists Say

By Pam Belluck, New York Times [cites Marcy Darnovsky] | 08.04.2017

Now that science is a big step closer to being able to fiddle with the genes of a human embryo...

Assisted Reproduction
Double helix figure that is diagonally positioned. Several base pairs are highlighted with different colors.

First human embryo editing experiment in U.S. ‘corrects’ gene for heart condition

By Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post [cites Marcy Darnovsky] | 08.02.2017

Scientists have successfully edited the DNA of human embryos to erase a heritable heart condition that is known for causing sudden death...

Assisted Reproduction
Microscopic image an oocyte

Scientists Precisely Edit DNA In Human Embryos To Fix A Disease Gene

By Rob Stein, NPR [cites Marcy Darnovsky] | 08.02.2017

Scientists have been tinkering with the DNA in humans and other living things for decades. But one thing has long...

Human Genetic Modification
A human oocyte is held by a glass holding pipette (left). A beveled glass pipette containing an immobilized ejaculated spermatozoon is inserted through the zona pellucida and deep into the oolemma, creating a deep furrow. Once the membrane of the oocyte is penetrated, the sperm is deposited therein.

Scientists Are Shocked About How Easy It Is To Tweak Genes In Human Embryos

By Dan Vergano and Tom Chivers, BuzzFeed [cites Marcy Darnovsky] | 08.02.2017

Researchers have erased a genetic glitch that causes heart defects in dozens of human embryos with surprising success, fixing the...

Assisted Reproduction
A baby dressed in a shirt, diapers, and cap, floats mid-air.

A Future of Genetically Engineered Children Is Closer Than You’d Think

By Rowan Jacobsen, Mother Jones [cites Marcy Darnovsky] | 08.01.2017

Last week, US scientists edited a human embryo for the first time. That’s just the beginning.

The first step is...

Human Genetic Modification
Three boxes of 23andMe kits stand upright in a line. Two of the boxes have been blurred, and one of them is centrally focused.

FDA gives DTC genetic tests a partial restart

By Pete Shanks, Medical Laboratory Observer | 07.25.2017

The direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing industry has been around for just over a decade. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration...

Genomics
Abstract design of several double helices crossing over each other against a black background.

Is Gene Editing Out of Control?

By The Inquiry, BBC [features Marcy Darnovsky] | 07.16.2017

"This structure has novel features, which are of considerable biological interest." It was perhaps the greatest understatement of all time...

Human Genetic Modification
A wall displays letters " ATCG" in various colors.

CRISPR DNA Editing Can Cause Hundreds of Off-Target Mutations

By Dave Roos, Seeker [cites Marcy Darnovsky] | 06.06.2017

A new study offers a cautionary tale for using the widely hyped gene-editing tool CRISPR on people.

The gene-editing technology...

Bioethics