We can genetically engineer mosquitoes to produce antibodies against malaria. Using gene drive, we can propagate the mutation to the entire population of mosquitoes. This will save millions upon millions of human lives. But there are always unintended consequences of playing God.
Once we do this, there’s no going back. We will alter nature on a scale and a level that is unprecedented in human history. And this won’t stop with mosquitoes. We will move on to ticks and every other organism we consider a danger or a nuisance. Do we have the right to do this?
I don’t know the answer. But neither does the medical or scientific community. Because this is a question we must all ask ourselves as a society. We all have a stake in what that future looks like, what unintended consequences we’re willing to bear, and our morality as a species.
You can follow @eugenegu.
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