STILL TOO SOON TO TRY ALTERING HUMAN EMBRYO DNA, PANEL SAYS
Techlife News|Techlife News #462
It’s still too soon to try to make genetically edited babies because the science isn’t advanced enough to ensure safety, says an international panel of experts who also mapped a pathway for any countries that want to consider it.
STILL TOO SOON TO TRY ALTERING HUMAN EMBRYO DNA, PANEL SAYS

Thursday’s report comes nearly two years after a Chinese scientist shocked the world by revealing he’d helped make the first gene-edited babies using a tool called CRISPR, which enables DNA changes or “edits” that can pass to future generations. He Jianqui did this to three babies when they were embryos to try to make them resistant to infection with the AIDS virus and described it in exclusive interviews.

Mainstream scientists condemned his experiment as unethical, and He was sentenced to three years in prison for violating Chinese laws. The experts commission was formed in the aftermath by the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the United Kingdom’s Royal Society.

The group doesn’t take a stance on whether editing embryos is ethical, just whether it’s ready scientifically -- and deems that it’s not. A separate panel formed by the World Health Organization is to report on ethics issues later this year.

The commission does say that if a country allows this, it should be limited to cases where people have no or very poor options for having a child without the disease. Initial attempts should be for serious diseases caused by a single gene, such as muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, the blood disorder beta thalassemia and Tay-Sachs, a neurological disease, the report says.

Altering genes to try to enhance traits such as muscle mass or height is not endorsed.

This story is from the Techlife News #462 edition of Techlife News.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Techlife News #462 edition of Techlife News.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM TECHLIFE NEWSView All
'Kung Fu Panda 4' is a Sweet, Fun and Well Executed Passing of the Torch
Techlife News

'Kung Fu Panda 4' is a Sweet, Fun and Well Executed Passing of the Torch

“Kung Fu Panda 4” finds our trusty, rotund hero Po at a career crossroads and he’s nervous. “Change doesn’t have to be a bad thing,” he is told. “Kung Fu Panda 4” also finds the franchise at an inflection point, but there’s no reason for us to be nervous. DreamWorks knows what it’s doing.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 16, 2024
UN SAYS E-WASTE FROM TRASHED ELECTRIC DEVICES IS PILING UP AND RECYCLING ISN'T KEEPING PACE
Techlife News

UN SAYS E-WASTE FROM TRASHED ELECTRIC DEVICES IS PILING UP AND RECYCLING ISN'T KEEPING PACE

U.N. agencies have warned that electrical and electronic waste is piling up worldwide while recycling rates remain low and are likely to fall even further.

time-read
3 mins  |
Techlife News #647
FRENCH REGULATORS FINE GOOGLE $272 MILLION IN DISPUTE WITH NEWS PUBLISHERS
Techlife News

FRENCH REGULATORS FINE GOOGLE $272 MILLION IN DISPUTE WITH NEWS PUBLISHERS

France's competition watchdog hit Google on Wednesday with another big fine tied to a long-running dispute over payments to French publishers for their news.

time-read
1 min  |
Techlife News #647
TEXAS APPROVES LAND-SWAPPING DEAL WITH SPACEX AS COMPANY HOPES TO EXPAND ROCKET-LAUNCH OPERATIONS
Techlife News

TEXAS APPROVES LAND-SWAPPING DEAL WITH SPACEX AS COMPANY HOPES TO EXPAND ROCKET-LAUNCH OPERATIONS

SpaceX would acquire public land in Texas to expand its rocket-launch facilities under a tentative deal that is moving forward after months of opposition from nearby residents and officials near the U.S.-Mexico border.

time-read
2 mins  |
Techlife News #647
SPACEX COMES CLOSE TO COMPLETING TEST FLIGHT OF MEGA ROCKET BUT LOSES SPACECRAFT NEAR END
Techlife News

SPACEX COMES CLOSE TO COMPLETING TEST FLIGHT OF MEGA ROCKET BUT LOSES SPACECRAFT NEAR END

SpaceX came close to completing an hourlong test flight of its mega rocket on its third try Thursday (14), but the spacecraft was lost as it descended back to Earth.

time-read
3 mins  |
Techlife News #647
SPOTIFY PAID $9 BILLION IN ROYALTIES IN 2023. HERE'S WHAT FUELED THE GROWTH
Techlife News

SPOTIFY PAID $9 BILLION IN ROYALTIES IN 2023. HERE'S WHAT FUELED THE GROWTH

Spotify paid out $9 billion in streaming royalties last year, the streaming giant said this week in its latest \"Loud and Clear\" report.

time-read
2 mins  |
Techlife News #647
APPLE TO PAY $490 MILLION TO SETTLE ALLEGATIONS THAT IT MISLED INVESTORS ABOUT IPHONE SALES IN CHINA
Techlife News

APPLE TO PAY $490 MILLION TO SETTLE ALLEGATIONS THAT IT MISLED INVESTORS ABOUT IPHONE SALES IN CHINA

Apple has agreed to pay $490 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging CEO Tim Cook misled investors about a steep downturn in iPhone's sales in China that culminated in a jarring revision to the company's revenue forecast.

time-read
1 min  |
Techlife News #647
PAIR ACCUSED OF STEALING BATTERY MANUFACTURING SECRETS FROM TESLA AND STARTING THEIR OWN COMPANY
Techlife News

PAIR ACCUSED OF STEALING BATTERY MANUFACTURING SECRETS FROM TESLA AND STARTING THEIR OWN COMPANY

Two men are accused of starting a business in China using battery manufacturing technology pilfered from Tesla and trying to sell the proprietary information, federal prosecutors in New York said.

time-read
1 min  |
Techlife News #647
AI IMAGE-GENERATOR MIDJOURNEY BLOCKS IMAGES OF BIDEN AND TRUMP AS ELECTION LOOMS
Techlife News

AI IMAGE-GENERATOR MIDJOURNEY BLOCKS IMAGES OF BIDEN AND TRUMP AS ELECTION LOOMS

The popular artificial intelligence image-generator Midjourney has started blocking its users from creating fake images of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential election, according to tests of the AI tool.

time-read
3 mins  |
Techlife News #647
AS ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES SLOW, US 7 RELAXES PLANS FOR STRICTER AUTO EMISSIONS STANDARDS FOR A WHILE
Techlife News

AS ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES SLOW, US 7 RELAXES PLANS FOR STRICTER AUTO EMISSIONS STANDARDS FOR A WHILE

The Biden administration this week is expected to announce new automobile emissions standards that relax proposed limits for three years but eventually reach the same strict standards proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.

time-read
4 mins  |
Techlife News #647