
Mail-Order CRISPR Kits Allow Absolutely Anyone to Hack DNA - maltalex
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mail-order-crispr-kits-allow-absolutely-anyone-to-hack-dna/
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ilamont
_Finally, what about the nightmare scenario: Is CRISPR so easy to use that we
need to worry about biohackers—either accidentally or intentionally—creating
dangerous pathogens? Carroll and others think that the danger of putting
CRISPR in the hands of the average person is relatively low. “People have
imagined scenarios where scientists could use CRISPR to generate a virulent
pathogen, ” he says. “How big is the risk? It’s not zero, but it’s fairly
small.” Gersbach agrees. “Right now, it’s difficult to imagine how it’d be
dangerous in a real way,” he explains_

It's hard for "normal" people to imagine how sociopaths or those with
destructive aims will behave when given flexible tools like this. It's kind of
like how no one anticipated how social media networks whose ostensible purpose
is to connect friends could be used to undermine elections, abet fraud, commit
character assassination, and drive people to suicide.

And while the real-life example of using CRISPR to switch the limbs of tiny
crustaceans sounds harmless, wait til someone mutates something bigger and
more familiar for "better" attributes or capabilities that can cause direct
harm or inadvertent effects. It's probably already happened ... but we may not
understand the impact for years.

