Gene-drives, a controversial technology that can speed up natural selection in order to help researchers eradicate pests has been given a cautious thumbs-up by the National Academies of Science. Gene-drives involve manipulating specific genes to ensure they are passed on to future generations, giving scientists overall control of disease-carrying organisms. This can be used to increase the populations of some organisms and decrease others such as pests. The report was released at an American Society for Microbiology meeting held last week in San Francisco, where it received strong support from both sides of the debate.
Gene-drives, a controversial technology that can speed up natural selection in order to help researchers eradicate pests has been given a cautious thumbs-up by the National Academies of Science. Gene-drives involve manipulating specific genes to ensure they are passed on to future generations, giving scientists overall control of disease-carrying organisms. This can be used to increase the populations of some organisms and decrease others such as pests. Scientists hope malaria is just one of the diseases which could be prevented with gene drives.