Not since the atomic bomb has a technology so alarmed its inventors that they warned the world about its use. Not, that is, until 2015, when biologist Jennifer Doudna called for a worldwide moratorium on the use of the gene-editing tool CRISPR - a revolutionary new technology that she helped create - to make heritable changes in human embryos. The cheapest, simplest, most effective way of manipulating DNA ever known, CRISPR may well give us the cure to HIV, genetic diseases, and some cancers. Yet even the tiniest changes to DNA could have myriad, unforeseeable consequences - to say nothing of the implications of intentionally mutating embryos to create "better" humans. Writing with fellow researcher Sam Sternberg, Doudna shares the thrilling story of her discovery and describes the enormous responsibility that comes with the power to rewrite the code of life. Two scientists explore the potential of a revolutionary genetics technology capable of easily and affordably manipulating DNA in human embryos to prevent specific diseases, addressing key concerns about related ethical and societal repercussions.

Two Berkeley scientists explore the potential of a revolutionary genetics technology capable of easily and affordably manipulating DNA in human embryos to prevent specific diseases, addressing key concerns about related ethical and societal repercussions.

"Jennifer A. Doudna, galardonada con el Premio Nobel de Química 2020. Durante miles de millones de años, la evolución de la vida en la Tierra discurrió de acuerdo con la teoría de la evolución de Darwin. Hoy, gracias a la tecnología CRISPR, la ciencia nos brinda la oportunidad de poner este proceso fundamental bajo nuestro control. Mediante este descubrimiento transformador podemos aprender a editar el genoma humano, introduciendo cambios heredables en nuestro ADN que abren la posibilidad de erradicar el VIH, numerosas enfermedades genéticas e incluso ciertos tipos de cáncer, pero también traen de su mano numerosos fantasmas que despiertan nuevos dilemas éticos a la investigación científica. "Una grieta en la creación" proporciona una mirada al interior de una de las revoluciones científicas más fascinantes de la historia de la humanidad de la mano de dos de sus más directos protagonistas. Jennifer A. Doudna, ganadora del Premio Nobel de Química y principal artífice de la creación de la herramienta CRISPR, y Samuel H. Sternberg presentan una historia del desarrollo de esta poderosa tecnología biológica al tiempo que explican su funcionamiento al público no especializado, sin dejar nunca de lado su responsabilidad científica al mirar al futuro para afrontar las principales cuestiones éticas despertadas por sus posibles derivas." -- Amazon. "Jennifer A. Doudna, winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. For billions of years, the evolution of life on Earth proceeded according to Darwin's theory of evolution. Today, thanks to CRISPR technology, science gives us the opportunity to put this fundamental process under our control. Through this transformative discovery, we can learn to edit the human genome, introducing heritable changes in our DNA that open the possibility of eradicating HIV, numerous genetic diseases and even certain types of cancer, but also bring numerous ghosts that awaken new ethical dilemmas. to scientific research. "A Crack in Creation" provides a glimpse into one of the most fascinating scientific revolutions in human history from the hand of two of its most direct protagonists. Jennifer A. Doudna, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and main creator of the CRISPR tool, and Samuel H. Sternberg present a history of the development of this powerful biological technology while explaining its operation to the non-specialist public, without leaving aside its scientific responsibility when looking to the future to face the main ethical questions raised by its possible drifts." -- Amazon.