{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"The CRISPR Babies","description":" In 2018 news broke that a Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, had used CRISPR to edit human embryos, and twin girls had been born as a result. The story set off an explosive bioethical controversy. As gene editing expert Kiran Musunuru put it, \u201cHe Jiankui\u2019s genetic misadventures were the biggest medical story of the century so far.\u201d Both scientists and the public had a lot of questions. What was the unmet medical need that justified the gene editing? Was the science ready for prime time? And, if it was, was He Jiankui the right scientist to do it? Seven years later these questions are far from resolved. Credits Host: Alexis Pedrick Executive Producer:&amp;nbsp;Mariel Carr Producer:&amp;nbsp;Rigoberto Hernandez Associate Producer:&amp;nbsp;Sarah Kaplan Audio Engineer:&amp;nbsp;Samia Bouzid Music&amp;nbsp;by&amp;nbsp;Blue Dot Sessions Resource List Baylis, Fran\u00e7oise. Altered Inheritance: CRISPR and the Ethics of Human Genome Editing. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2019. CBS News. \u201cChinese Researcher Claims He Helped Make First Gene-Edited Babies.\u201d CBS News, November 26, 2018. CBS News. \u201cChinese Scientist Behind Gene-Edited Babies Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison.\u201d CBS News, December 30, 2019. Cobb, Matthew. As Gods: A Moral History of the Genetic Age. New York: Basic Books, 2022. Greely, Henry T. CRISPR People: The Science and Ethics of Editing Humans. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2021. &quot;He Jiankui presentation and Q&amp;amp;A, International Summit on Human Genome Editing.&quot; Youtube Video, November 26, 2018. Marchione, Marilynn. Associated Press. \u201cChinese researcher claims first gene-edited babies.\u201d AP News, November 26, 2018. \u201cMeet Cathy Tie, Bride of 'China\u2019s Frankenstein.'\u201d MIT Technology Review, May 23, 2025. Musunuru, Kiran. The CRISPR Generation: The Story of the World\u2019s First Gene-Edited Babies. BookBaby, 2019. NBC News. \u201cChinese Scientist Says He Helped Create First Gene-Edited Babies.\u201d NBC News, November 26, 2018. \u201cWorld's first successful tailor-made gene therapy saves baby born with rare disorder.\u201d CBS Mornings. May 16, 2025. ","author_name":"Distillations | Science History Institute","author_url":"https:\/\/www.sciencehistory.org\/stories\/distillations-pod\/","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/38180640\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/193061105"}