Science and Inquiry discussion

One of two books selected for June 2018 is A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution. You are not expected to read both books, but if you do that's great. If you do read this one, please use this thread to post questions, comments, and reviews, at any time.

I read this last year, and I’ll be interested in the discussion! I was a little disappointed in the writing, but it’s a good explanation of how DNA editing works. Her hand-wringing about the ethical considerations is valid, and it’s important for general readers to understand how scientists self-regulate when it comes to emerging technologies. But her concerns still felt somewhat vague.

I haven't finished it yet. I like it so far. If it doesn't disappoint me later, it will be a 5 star book. Ethical concerns related to new technologies will always be vague if they are honest. We have no idea what others will do with what we create. A scientist is usually driven by curiosity or the desire to solve a particular problem. The solution, however, can be applied to very different scenarios. Usually, the people who decide what to use it for are quite far removed from the scientists. We humans are very limited beings. There is also the time consideration. What we think a certain method can be used for today might be completely different from what people will use it for 100 years from now.

Read this book in December 2017. I really liked it.
I have studied genetic engineering so the concept of CRISPR-Cas wasn't new to me but I still didn't know how much work it took to get there. I didn't know the intricacies and the book explained the background really well too.
I also liked her concerns about the ethics of using this technology and all the various ways we could or should use them. I feel the consequences of technologies aren't always well written (if at all).
The only thing that bothered me was that the book barely mentioned anything about the patent wars relating to CRISPR systems. That should've been there too.

I just finished reading this book. It is excellent! The first half of the book is rather tough-going, while the second half is easily understandable. Here is my review.