The purported birth last month of the world’s first gene-edited human babies, claimed by a Chinese scientist, spurred a wave of global outrage. Scientists denounced the (as yet unconfirmed) experiment as irresponsible, and the development reinforced fears that the redesigning of DNA is moving ahead too fast and without necessary oversight. The proliferation of similar experiments on farm animals in recent years supports those concerns. Though rapid strides have been made to map genomes—the full set of genes for humans, animals,...
Bioethicists are urging caution amid the rapid progress of gene - editing technology , pointing to animal experiments which have resulted in disturbing , unintended outcomes . Despite the strides that have been made in mapping genetics , our understanding of how genes work is still in its infancy . Scientists are seeing unexpected consequences , such as premature tongues in rabbits that had genes edited to limit muscle growth , or premature extinction of gene - edited calves . Critics warn that the editing of DNA in mice could allow harmful mutations to enter the food chain when those genes are consumed , while breeding will cause mutated genes to spread .