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A28 SCIENCE
Thursday 3 OcTOber 2019
Gene editing video stirs talk of designer babies, ethics

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE there yet.” group Congress created to
AP Chief Medical Writer Making designer babies advise the federal govern-
A new video showing has long been feared by ment, and about 85% of its
people casually discussing opponents of gene editing funding comes from there.
gene editing and designer that alters DNA in embryos, The video includes a clip of
babies is making waves eggs or sperm, in part be- gene editing pioneer Jen-
because of its source: the cause such changes can nifer Doudna of the Univer-
government-funded group pass to future generations. sity of California, Berkeley,
leading efforts to set stan- Last year, a Chinese re- discussing the science.
dards for the ethically dic- searcher's claim to have The video opens with
ey science. done this in twin girls was people putting notes on a
The National Academy of widely denounced and led diagram of a body while
Sciences posted the video to new calls for oversight. saying "I guess I would like
earlier this week along with The academy and the to be taller," "I would like
a tweet it later removed. World Health Organization to change body fat," "let's
The tweet read: "Dream of separately formed scien- prevent baldness" and
being stronger? Or smart- tific panels to consider that. "take away dyslexia."
er? Do you dream of hav- The new video is part of a The script says: "This type
ing a top student or star series aimed at improving of gene editing is still in the
athlete? Or a child free This Monday, Sept. 30, 2019 image shows a tweet posted by the public understanding of realm of science fiction.
of inheritable #diseases? National Academy of Sciences reading, "Dream of being stron- the science behind com- But it might not always be."
Can human #GeneEdit- ger? Or smarter? Do you dream of having a top student or star plex issues, said acad- It says five “everyday peo-
athlete? Or a child free of inheritable #diseases? Can human
ing eventually make this #GeneEditing eventually make this and more possible? #The- emy spokeswoman Molly ple” were asked to consid-
and more possible? #The- ScienceBehindIt Take the quiz!” with a link to a video. Galvin. The tweet was re- er pros and cons.
ScienceBehindIt Take the Associated Press placed by one noting the One man says, "create
quiz !” It included emojis of academy’s position that the perfect human being
a brain, bulging muscles, a and video could further editing can give positive gene editing should only ... that's pretty cool," while
professor and an athlete. misunderstanding about traits without any potential be done to treat or prevent others shake their heads
“I am disappointed by this,” editing’s most important downsides _ “the defini- disease. and say no. "You want the
said Alta Charo, a Univer- uses or wrongly suggest tion of hubris,” said Harvard She did not respond to re- best qualities to be put into
sity of Wisconsin, Madison that it’s possible now to be- Medical School dean Dr. quests for more informa- your offspring," one man
ethicist involved in past stow traits like intelligence. George Q. Daley, who also tion, such as whether public says. "I want my child to be
academy panels on gene The video gives the inaccu- has been involved in acad- money paid for the video. the best version of not just
editing. She said the tweet rate impression that gene emy work. “We are not The academy is a private me but him or her. q

NASA lander captures marsquakes,

other Martian sounds

By MARCIA DUNN as well as movements by A German drilling instru-
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) the lander's robot arm and ment, meanwhile, has
— NASA's InSight lander on other mechanical "dinks been inactive for months.
Mars has captured the low and donks " as the team Scientists are trying to sal-
rumble of marsquakes and calls them. vage the experiment to
a symphony of other other- "It's been exciting, especial- measure the planet's inter-
worldly sounds. ly in the beginning, hearing nal temperature.
Scientists released an au- the first vibrations from the The so-called mole is meant
dio sampling Tuesday. lander," said Imperial Col- to penetrate 16 feet (5 me-
The sounds had to be en- lege London's Constanti- ters) beneath the Martian
hanced for humans to nos Charalambous, who surface, but has managed
hear. helped provide the audio barely 1 foot (30 centi-
InSight's seismometer has recordings. "You're imagin- meters). Researchers sus-
detected more than 100 ing what's really happening pect the Martian sand isn't
This April 25, 2019 photo made available by NASA shows the events, but only 21 are on Mars as InSight sits on providing the necessary
InSight lander's dome-covered seismometer, known as SEIS, considered strong mars- the open landscape," he friction for digging, caus-
on Mars. On Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, scientists released an au- quake candidates. The rest added in a statement. ing the mole to helplessly
dio sampling of marsquakes and other sounds recorded by the could be marsquakes — or InSight arrived at Mars last bounce around rather
probe. something else. The French November and recorded than burrow deeper, and
Associated Press seismometer is so sensitive it its first seismic rumbling in to form a wide pit around
can hear the Martian wind April. itself.q