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CRISPR & bioethics

He Jiankui refuses to talk about his controversial genome editing of babies in 2018. Ancient stone tools are unearthed in Kenya and we tune into the mysterious sounds of the ocean

In the decade since the genome editing capabilities of CRISPR-Cas9 emerged, research into novel medicines has boomed – but alongside progress comes new ethical considerations. Controversy erupted in 2018, when Chinese scientist He Jiankui created the first babies with edited genomes. After leaving prison last year, he’s now back in the lab trying to raise support for new research but refuses to discuss the ethical implications of his work. Dr Joy Zhang recently arranged a bioethics seminar and invited He Jiankui, it was the first time he’d agreed to engage with a global cohort of CRISPR scientists since returning to his research.

Going back in time from cutting-edge to ancient technology, some of the oldest stone tools ever used by human ancestors have been unearthed at a fossil site in Kenya. Professor Tom Plummer talks us through the findings and how important the tools were in our evolution.

And we immerse ourselves in the mysterious sounds of the Arctic and Antarctic, from singing ice to the man-made noises of oil and gas drilling. These dramatic soundscapes, created for the Polar Soundscapes project, showcase just how busy our oceans are. Dr Geraint Rhys Whittaker, composer and project lead, believes a novel approach may be required to prompt climate action.

Image Credit: Anthony Wallace

Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Harrison Lewis
Assistant Producer: Sophie Ormiston

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32 minutes

Last on

Sat 18 Feb 2023 17:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 16 Feb 2023 20:32GMT
  • Thu 16 Feb 2023 21:32GMT
  • Fri 17 Feb 2023 04:32GMT
  • Fri 17 Feb 2023 13:32GMT
  • Fri 17 Feb 2023 18:32GMT
  • Sat 18 Feb 2023 17:32GMT

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