1. (Bio)Engineering Nature: Editing environments through biotechnology
Elliott Reichardt, Stanford University
Posted: January 27, 2021
Since the discovery in 2015 of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system, research into its applications for has exploded. The use of CRISPR/Cas9 and related technologies has enabled scientists to edit the genomes of organisms with an unparalleled level of accuracy and specificity making feasible the genomic editing of environments and ecosystems. Scientists have pointed out that the new technologies like “gene drives”, which nearly guarantee the inheritance of targeted genes, could be used for admirable public health goals such as transforming or suppressing harmful populations of malaria transmitting mosquitoes or schistosomiasis-carrying snails. Environmentalists have similarly suggested that gene drives be used to suppress populations of harmful or invasive species, such as lionfish. Theoretically, these technologies appear remarkably promising. Yet important questions regarding their regulation, usage and development remain underexplored. This panel solicits submissions from groups or individuals of any background interested in developing a rich conversation regarding historical and ongoing attempts to molecularly edit environments with an emphasis on gene drive technologies. Ideally, presenters would explore gene drives in all their complexity, from their social and economic context to their political and environmental implications. This panel would especially welcome papers that document scientific and regulatory processes through which these technologies must go through with a careful attention to empirical detail.
