049 CRISPR: How Science is Re-writing the Human Code

Truth N Trends

Imagine if we could fix a genetic disease with a pair of molecular scissors. That's exactly what scientists are doing with CRISPR, a revolutionary technology that can edit DNA. Charles and Sophia give a simple explanation of how it works and discuss the breathtaking possibilities and the complex ethical questions that come with it.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to the studio, I'm Charles and with me is Sophia.

00:10Today we're talking about a revolutionary scientific invention that has the potential to change our lives.

00:16CRISPR, Sophia, I know you've been doing a lot of research on this and I'm very curious to hear about it.

00:21Thank you, Charles. It's a great topic.

00:22CRISPR is a revolutionary technology that can edit DNA.

00:26It's like a pair of molecular scissors that can cut a piece of a DNA helix and replace it with a new one.

00:31So, we can edit our own genetic code?

00:33Exactly. The technology was discovered in bacteria, where it's used to fight off viruses.

00:40Scientists have now found a way to use it to edit our own DNA.

00:43I am unsure about the specifics of the biology, but it sounds like a huge step forward in medicine.

00:48It is.

00:48So how does it work?

00:49It's a very simple process. A molecule finds a specific piece of a DNA helix that needs to be fixed.

00:55It then cuts that piece and replaces it with a new one.

00:58So it's a very precise and a very powerful tool.

01:02And the possibilities are endless.

01:04We can use it to fix genetic diseases, like cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia.

01:09We can also use it to find a cure for cancer and HIV.

01:13So, it's a new hope for a lot of people.

01:16It is.

01:16But I imagine there are a lot of ethical questions that come with this.

01:19There are. We're talking about a technology that can change our genetic code.

01:24We're talking about a future where we can design our own babies.

01:28So we have to be very careful with how we use it.

01:31So, it's a very difficult conversation.

01:33With that last point, let me wind up this short video.

01:36And we'll be back with another interesting topic on the next video.

01:39This was a fascinating video.

01:40It was.

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