As these tests have become widespread, ethical concerns have begun to surface. According to a White House press statement, this achievement would “lead to new ways to prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure disease.” Many scientists were skeptical, but the public (who footed much of the $3 billion bill) probably found this highly practical justification more acceptable than the mere desire to know, which was in fact a large part of the motivation of many of the scientists involved.ĭuring the 2000s, Clinton’s vision was slowly put into practice, beginning with the development of tests for genetic diseases.

In June 2000, President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the completion of the first draft of the human genome. The revolution began in benign but spectacular fashion. A brave new world is just around the corner, and we had better be ready for it or things could go horribly wrong. This development raises complex and urgent questions about the kind of society we want and who we really are. These innovations give us the power to predict certain risks to our health, eliminate deadly diseases, and ultimately transform ourselves and the whole of nature.

The other, which is only dimly understood by the general public, is our newfound capacity to modify genes at will. One, relatively well known, is the ability to easily decode the information in our genes. In recent years, two new genetic technologies have started a scientific and medical revolution. The biochemist Jennifer Doudna, a pioneer of the technique of DNA modification known as CRISPR, at her lab at the University of California, Berkeley, 2015

Embryo store brave new world