I have found CRISPR technology to be a super interesting topic to me, and I have enjoyed reading about it a lot. In the article by Michael Specter, he talks about how CRISPR technology and the ability to rearrange DNA has been used in order to correct genetic flaws like Cystic Fibrosis, muscular Dystrophy, and a form of hepatitis. (Specter pg. 1) But, I think that Anthony James’ research and work to eliminate the spread of disease from mosquitoes in particularly interesting. I have thought about the fact that we can use technology to change a humans DNA, but I would not think to use our new technology in order to alter the makeup of mosquitoes. Those little buggers can be quite scary to humans because we never know what diseases they could be infecting us with, so I think it is very interesting that we could potentially rid the world of that problem. I also thought it was super interesting that we had also fixed a problem with pigs organs so that they could be transplanted into humans. That entire concept is so interesting to me. It is crazy that through science, we are now able to have a pigs organ living and working inside of a human body.
I think it is really hard for us to make a decision about how far we take these CRISPR technologies, and where we put them to a stop. Obviously they have been doing some good, allowing people to remain healthy or avoid genetic flaws, but how far is too far…and who gets to decide when we have pushed the limits too far? I don’t know if I can correctly answer this question because everyone’s opinion will be very different. I would say that CRISPR technologies are not all bad, but they have the potential to cause disaster if they are taken too far. I think more research may need to be done before we decide how far too far really is.