基因编辑因贺建奎同志一下子从学术圈蹦到了大众传媒
CRISPR doc 'Human Nature' embraces the hope and peril of gene editing
It's the best CRISPR primer yet.
Devindra Hardawar Devindra Hardawar, 2h ago
When making a documentary on something as groundbreaking and controversial
as CRISPR, the gene editing tool that could potentially help us eradicate
cancer, you need a deft touch. Lean into the hard science, and it might be
too complex for general viewers. Focus intensely on the downsides -- like
its potential to lead us down the dark path of eugenics -- and it might
sound unnecessarily preachy. Go too light on either of those aspects, and it
might be hard to take your film seriously.
That makes Human Nature, the upcoming CRISPR documentary executive produced
by Dan Rather and directed by David Bolt, especially impressive. It's a
fascinating primer about what led to the discovery of the tool, and an
exploration of the role it may have in our society. It's hopeful about
CRISPR's ability to help us fix diseases that have plagued humans for
millennia, while also questioning if we're ready to make genetic changes
that'll affect us for generations to come.
