logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2021
46m 13s

The science and ethics of rewriting our ...

TED
About this episode

Biochemist Jennifer Doudna won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for pioneering CRISPR, a revolutionary biotech tool that can edit DNA with unprecedented precision and ease. But how exactly does CRISPR work, and what consequences may arise from altering our internal makeup? She talks to Chris about the remarkable effects CRISPR can have on our lives--from eradicating genetic diseases to slowing the climate crisis--as well as the ethical and moral questions we must grapple with when it comes to changing who we are.

Can’t get enough TED? Become a member for access to exclusive events, global conversations, and more. Join now: go.ted.com/podmembers


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
May 2024
How to solve the world’s biggest problems with Natalie Cargill
To get a free copy of the Infectious Generosity book, visit ted.com/generosityWhat if the world’s biggest problems could be solved with just some simple math? Natalie Cargill, the founder of strategic giving consultancy Longview Philanthropy, works on finding funding for the most ... Show More
40m 34s
May 2024
How much happiness can 2 million USD buy? with Elizabeth Dunn
To get a free copy of the Infectious Generosity book, visit ted.com/generosity How much happiness could be gained if more people had access to wealth? Does the relationship between spending money and happiness change when people are in different economic classes? And if chosen ra ... Show More
51m 52s
May 2024
Exercising your generosity like a muscle with John M. Sweeney
To get a free copy of the Infectious Generosity book, visit ted.com/generosity When John M. Sweeney first read about the old Italian tradition of “café sospeso”, he didn’t know he’d create a viral movement. The simple and powerful idea originates in the working-class cafés of Nap ... Show More
30m 21s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2021
The science and ethics of rewriting our DNA | Jennifer Doudna
Biochemist Jennifer Doudna won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for pioneering CRISPR, a revolutionary biotech tool that can edit DNA with unprecedented precision and ease. But how exactly does CRISPR work, and what consequences may arise from altering our internal makeup? She t ... Show More
46m 13s
Sep 2023
CRISPR's next advance is bigger than you think | Jennifer Doudna
You've probably heard of CRISPR, the revolutionary technology that allows us to edit the DNA in living organisms. Biochemist and 2023 Audacious Project grantee Jennifer Doudna earned the Nobel Prize for her groundbreaking work in this field -- and now she's here to tell us about ... Show More
8m 5s
Dec 2023
CRISPR's next advance is bigger than you think | Jennifer Doudna
You've probably heard of CRISPR, the revolutionary technology that allows us to edit the DNA in living organisms. Biochemist and 2023 Audacious Project grantee Jennifer Doudna earned the Nobel Prize for her groundbreaking work in this field — and now she's here to tell us about i ... Show More
9m 24s
Apr 2022
Babbage: Editing the code of life
In 2012, the discovery of the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 revolutionised scientists’ ability to modify DNA. Ten years on, host Alok Jha speaks to Jennifer Doudna, the Nobel laureate who pioneered the technology. She explains how CRISPR could transform healthcare and the food su ... Show More
41m 50s
Apr 2022
Babbage: Editing the code of life
In 2012, the discovery of the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 revolutionised scientists’ ability to modify DNA. Ten years on, host Alok Jha speaks to Jennifer Doudna, the Nobel laureate who pioneered the technology. She explains how CRISPR could transform healthcare and the food su ... Show More
41m 50s
May 2022
How far could gene editing go?
Humans now have the ability to directly change their DNA, and gene-editing tool CRISPR has led to a new era in gene-editing. CrowdScience listener ‘Bones’ wants to know how gene-editing is currently being used and what might be possible in the future. Gene-editing offers huge opp ... Show More
32m 12s
Mar 2023
Babbage: The hopes and fears of human genome editing
The Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing was held this week in London. It was the first such meeting since 2018, when a Chinese researcher announced that he had created the world’s first genetically edited babies—a move that was roundly condemned at the time. Host A ... Show More
45m 37s
Feb 2023
CRISPR & bioethics
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 geno ... Show More
31m 37s
Apr 2019
Can we cure genetic diseases by rewriting DNA? | David R. Liu
In a story of scientific discovery, chemical biologist David R. Liu shares a breakthrough: his lab's development of base editors that can rewrite DNA. This crucial step in genome editing takes the promise of CRISPR to the next level: if CRISPR proteins are molecular scissors, pro ... Show More
16m 6s