A democratizing technology calls for democratic dialogue
The technological development of the last decades never ceases to amaze
us with its increasing speed of technological innovation, confirming
that we are in a revolutionary era of science. Among all the scientific
branches, biotechnology has been the one that has given rise to the
BigBan that proves that we are at the beginning of a genetic revolution;
the new editing tool; Crispr Cas9
What is CRISPR?
CRISPR-Cas9 is the protagonist of the recent
genetic revolution that is taking us into totally unexplored
and science fiction terrain. This new genomic editing tool whose
significance far exceeds that of all its predecessors. It is faster,
cheaper, and can cut and paste genetic code with greater precision.
CRISPR allows scientists to access the DNA of a plant or animal,
or even a human being, and remove or replace a small part of that
organism's genetic code. The potential of what can be done with this
technique has generated great excitement, but it has also raised a
wave of ethical and social concerns.
The need of democratisation
The dilemma of CRISPR lies in its great and dilemmatic potential to transform society, as the social benefits of this technology are comparable to the global risks it entails.
Survey data can only tell us so much. Importantly, the U.S. survey demonstrates a clear wish by citizens that scientists and other experts talk to them about CRISPR and other gene
editing technologies before making these decisions.
This call, along with similar advice from policymakers
across the world, will hopefully result in more democratic forms of dialogue about whether and how we should responsibly adopt these powerful new genetic technologies.
Would you like to be part of this proccess?
Citizens from all over the
world need to be part of the
process of deciding how we
introduce gene editing technologies into our society, into our lives.
In other words, that
can be masters of our future.
Participate in a Social Research about Public Opinons on CRISPR's Genome Editing Practices
