It’s astonishing to me just how confidently people, often those who’ve never even studied the body, will assert they definitely know how things work. DNA is the big one for me, as there’s an entire “layer” of genetic function which we know almost nothing about. We may have mapped the atomic structure of DNA, and identified a number of sequences of base pairs which can be correlated with certain traits, yet how DNA “folds” and why remains almost a complete mystery. Many think that scientists have reached a level where we can splice our genetic code as though it were a computer program to make it do this or that, yet in reality attempts to do so almost never work, usually resulting in sterility or death.
The mystery remains but we certainly can splice our genetic code without sterility or death. There are various FDA approved therapies doing just so to treat genetic diseases such as sickle cell, hemophilia, certain types of DMD, and retinopathies.
Oh it’s certainly possible to do. Just that it’s incredibly dangerous, which is why there is an extremely rigorous testing regime in place, taking many, many years, which must be completed before any particular therapy is approved. Many proposed therapies are never able to successfully complete testing because the most common side effects by far are sterility and death.
Not entirely true. Humans have successfully modified the genome of plants and especially bacteria in a targeted way for years now. But things are of course much more complex in humans and vertebrates in general.
It’s astonishing to me just how confidently people, often those who’ve never even studied the body, will assert they definitely know how things work. DNA is the big one for me, as there’s an entire “layer” of genetic function which we know almost nothing about. We may have mapped the atomic structure of DNA, and identified a number of sequences of base pairs which can be correlated with certain traits, yet how DNA “folds” and why remains almost a complete mystery. Many think that scientists have reached a level where we can splice our genetic code as though it were a computer program to make it do this or that, yet in reality attempts to do so almost never work, usually resulting in sterility or death.
The mystery remains but we certainly can splice our genetic code without sterility or death. There are various FDA approved therapies doing just so to treat genetic diseases such as sickle cell, hemophilia, certain types of DMD, and retinopathies.
Oh it’s certainly possible to do. Just that it’s incredibly dangerous, which is why there is an extremely rigorous testing regime in place, taking many, many years, which must be completed before any particular therapy is approved. Many proposed therapies are never able to successfully complete testing because the most common side effects by far are sterility and death.
Not entirely true. Humans have successfully modified the genome of plants and especially bacteria in a targeted way for years now. But things are of course much more complex in humans and vertebrates in general.