Science

Should We Use Gene Editing to Make Better Babies?

A genetic disease runs in your family. Your doctor tells you that, should you wish to have a child, that child is likely to also carry the disease. But new gene-editing technology could change your fate. It could ensure that your baby is -- and remains -- healthy. Even more, it could potentially make sure your grandchildren are also free of the disease. What do you do? Now, imagine it's not a rare genetic disorder, but a general illness, or eye color, cognitive ability, or athleticism. Do you opt into this new world of genetically edited humans? And what if…

February 17, 2022
February 17, 2022

Should We Use Gene Editing to Make Better Babies?

A genetic disease runs in your family. Your doctor tells you that, should you wish to have a child, that child is likely to also carry the disease. But new gene-editing technology could change your fate. It could ensure that your baby is -- and remains -- healthy. Even more, it could potentially make sure your grandchildren are also free of the disease. What do you do? Now, imagine it's not a rare genetic disorder, but a general illness, or eye color, cognitive ability, or athleticism. Do you opt into this new world of genetically edited humans? And what if…

Will AI Kill the Future of the Creative Arts?

From AI-generated paintings to composing symphonies and writing scripts and novels, ChatGPT, DeepDream, DALL·E, and other types of AI are challenging how we see the human endeavor to express, innovate, and connect. Algorithms creating art is…

Should We Erase Bad Memories?

In the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kate Winslet’s character undergoes a procedure to erase her bad memories of her ex-boyfriend. But what if we could do the same in real life?…

John Donvan In Conversation with David McRaney on the Science of Changing Minds

What’s it take to change a mind? It turns out there is a science to it. That’s at least according to David McRaney, a journalist, author, and host of the You Are Not So Smart…

Changing Your Mind, with Adam Grant, Ray Dalio, and Bo Seo

What does it take to admit you’re wrong? And why is it so difficult? Cognitive psychology and neuroscience studies reveal that human decision-making relies on a host of factors that don’t always lead to objective…

Should We Search for Extraterrestrial Life?

For decades, scientists around the world have dedicated their lives — and research dollars — to one question: Is there anyone else out there? In the early 1970s, NASA joined the hunt with its own…

Should We Use Gene Editing to Make Better Babies?

A genetic disease runs in your family. Your doctor tells you that, should you wish to have a child, that child is likely to also carry the disease. But new gene-editing technology could change your…
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