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How Will Crispr Change the World if Used?
How Will Crispr Change the World if Used?
Social Opportunities
Social Opportunities
- Human well being and quality of life will increase
- Crispr may be used in the future as a "quick fix" to many health problems, such as cancer, that are long and grueling today.
- One possibility is that gene editing becomes a norm in society. If taken down the route of choosing the traits of offspring, then it could be considered essential to hand pick your child's traits one day. Disease and illness would then be much less of a norm, because who would give themselves or their offspring the ability to have a disease?
- If the problems associated with disease and sickness are almost entirely eliminated, then the world can deal with other issues, and maybe issues that arise because of this.
- In a world that uses a lot of plastic, this need can be reduced. Crispr can manipulate yeast that turns sugars into hydrocarbons, which can be utilized to make plastic. Petroleum based resources needed to make plastics would therefore be reduced and the environment would not be harmed as much.
- Crispr can also be used to develop new drugs that may help heart disease, blindness, and blood disorders.
Why Gene Editing?
Why Gene Editing?
Gene editing allows scientists and researchers to target problems at their source: the DNA level. Although there are many forms of treating illness, the best way to get rid of one is to not have it in the first place. This is where Crispr comes into play. Gene editing in the past was less faithful and less researched. Crispr, although still controversial, is currently the best gene editing tool.
Agriculture
Agriculture
Crispr can be used for many applications in agriculture, for example, see the Case Studies, in the What is Crispr? tab. As of now, the world food supply is not enough to sustain us, especially with an ever-growing population. More nutritional value and stronger crops are needed to help counteract this problem. Some may be wary of the impacts of using Crispr in agriculture, but in many cases it is better than the current methods. Dairy Cows, for example, often have horns that cause harm to each other due to their close quarters. Instead of waiting for cows to breed that do not have horns, Crispr can be used in already existing populations to get rid of the horns. Genes can also be deleted that inhibit hair growth in order for sheep to produce more wool or to produce certain wool colors. With an increased wool production, less horns, and increased muscle growth, then the livestock industry has the ability to grow. Crop disease resistance may also be fixed using Crispr, creating more food to feed the growing population.
Gene Edited Hornless Dairy Cow
Crispr Sheep with Genetically Selected Fur Colors
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