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CRISPR and Genetic Editing Updates

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CRISPR and Genetic Editing Updates

Dialogue

Alice: Hey, Bob! What’s got you so engrossed this morning?

Bob: Alice, you wouldn’t believe it! I’m just reading up on the latest CRISPR news. It’s wild!

Alice: CRISPR? Is that the gene-editing thing that sounds like it’s straight out of a sci-fi movie?

Bob: Pretty much! They’re making huge strides. Imagine, no more inherited diseases, maybe even designer babies eventually.

Alice: Designer babies? Can they edit out my lifelong inability to resist chocolate cake? Or give me a superpower like instant laundry folding?

Bob: Haha, not quite that specific yet, Alice. But serious stuff, like curing sickle cell anemia, that’s already happening in trials.

Alice: Wow, that’s actually incredible. So, less about superpower laundry, more about solving real-world medical problems.

Bob: Exactly! And think about agriculture! Super-resilient crops, drought-resistant everything. We could literally end world hunger!

Alice: Sounds amazing, but also… a little ethically dicey, wouldn’t you say? Who decides what’s a ‘fix’ and what’s ‘playing God’?

Bob: Definitely valid concerns, but the potential good is enormous. Scientists are being very careful, setting boundaries.

Alice: I hope so. I don’t want to wake up one day and find out my neighbor’s cat now has six legs and can do calculus.

Bob: Well, *that* would be a story. But seriously, imagine a future where people live healthier, longer lives, free from genetic predispositions to serious illnesses.

Alice: So, fewer runny noses, no more bad eyesight, maybe even a ‘mute button’ for my dad’s snoring gene?

Bob: Essentially, yes! It’s about fine-tuning our biological code. It’s revolutionary.

Alice: Revolutionary, terrifying, and utterly fascinating all at once. I guess I should start paying more attention to science news beyond cat videos.

Bob: You should! It’s moving so fast. We’re on the cusp of some incredible breakthroughs.

Alice: Just promise me, if they invent a gene for perfect parallel parking, you’ll let me know first.

Bob: Deal! I’ll put in a request.

Current Situation

CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology, particularly CRISPR-Cas9, has revolutionized genetic editing. It functions like molecular scissors, allowing scientists to precisely cut and paste DNA sequences. Recent updates include advancements in gene therapies for inherited diseases like sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis, with some clinical trials showing promising results. Beyond human health, CRISPR is being explored for agricultural applications, such as creating disease-resistant crops and improving yields. While the technology holds immense promise for curing diseases and enhancing life, it also presents significant ethical challenges concerning germline editing (changes passed to future generations), unintended consequences, and the potential for “designer babies.” Scientists and ethicists worldwide are engaged in ongoing discussions to establish responsible guidelines and regulations for its use.

Key Phrases

  • engrossed: so interested in something that you give it all your attention.
    • Example: He was so engrossed in his book that he didn’t hear the doorbell.
  • straight out of a sci-fi movie: something that seems to belong in a science fiction film because it’s futuristic or unbelievable.
    • Example: That new holographic projector looks straight out of a sci-fi movie!
  • making huge strides: making great progress or improvement.
    • Example: The company is making huge strides in renewable energy technology.
  • designer babies: babies whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected or altered to possess specific traits.
    • Example: The concept of designer babies raises many ethical questions.
  • ethically dicey: morally risky or questionable.
    • Example: Using AI to make life-or-death decisions can be ethically dicey.
  • playing God: behaving as if you have unlimited power, especially by trying to control things that are not usually within human control.
    • Example: Some people worry that genetic engineering is a form of playing God.
  • valid concerns: reasonable or justifiable worries or objections.
    • Example: Your concerns about the project’s budget are completely valid.
  • on the cusp of (something): at the point when something important is about to happen.
    • Example: We are on the cusp of a major scientific discovery.
  • fine-tuning: making small adjustments to improve performance or effectiveness.
    • Example: The engineers are still fine-tuning the engine for optimal efficiency.
  • biological code: refers to the genetic information (DNA/RNA) that determines the characteristics of an organism.
    • Example: CRISPR allows scientists to directly edit an organism’s biological code.

Grammar Points

  1. Present Continuous for Ongoing Actions and Trends

    The present continuous tense (be + -ing verb) is used to describe actions happening now or trends that are currently developing.

    • Example from dialogue: “What’s got you so engrossed?” (What is engrossing you?)
    • Example from dialogue: “They’re making huge strides.” (They are currently making significant progress.)
    • Example: “Scientists are being very careful.” (This describes their current cautious behavior.)

  2. Conditional Sentences (Type 1 and 2)

    Conditional sentences discuss hypothetical situations and their consequences. The dialogue uses both Type 1 (real or very probable future) and Type 2 (unreal or improbable present/future).

    • Type 1: If + Present Simple, Will + Base Verb (Real/Possible future)
      • Example from dialogue: “Just promise me, if they invent a gene for perfect parallel parking, you’ll let me know first.”
    • Type 2: If + Past Simple, Would + Base Verb (Unreal/Improbable present/future)
      • Example: “If I had a superpower, I would choose instant laundry folding.” (Alice doesn’t have a superpower, so it’s hypothetical.)

  3. Modal Verbs for Possibility and Speculation

    Modal verbs like may, might, could, and can are used to express possibility, ability, or permission.

    • Example from dialogue: “Imagine, no more inherited diseases, maybe even designer babies eventually.” (expresses possibility)
    • Example from dialogue: “Can they edit out my lifelong inability…?” (asks about ability/possibility)
    • Example from dialogue: “We could literally end world hunger!” (suggests a strong possibility or potential)
    • Example: “It might be possible to cure more diseases in the future.”

Practice Exercises

  1. Fill in the blanks with the correct key phrase:

    (engrossed, making huge strides, ethically dicey, valid concerns, on the cusp of)

    1. The medical team is __________ in developing a new vaccine.
    2. His arguments against the project were all __________ and well-reasoned.
    3. Funding research that could alter human genes feels a bit __________.
    4. The detective was so __________ in solving the mystery that he forgot to eat.
    5. With this new discovery, we are truly __________ a scientific revolution.

  2. Rewrite the following sentences using the specified grammar point:

    1. (Use Present Continuous for an ongoing trend) Many companies develop artificial intelligence.
      → Many companies __________.
    2. (Use a Type 1 Conditional) If you study hard, you will pass the exam.
      → You’ll pass the exam __________.
    3. (Use a Modal Verb for possibility) It is possible that they will find a cure for cancer soon.
      → They __________ a cure for cancer soon.

  3. Answer the following questions based on the dialogue:

    1. What is Bob reading about?
    2. What humorous personal applications of gene editing does Alice suggest?
    3. What is one ethical concern Alice raises about gene editing?

Answers

  1. Fill in the blanks:

    1. making huge strides
    2. valid concerns
    3. ethically dicey
    4. engrossed
    5. on the cusp of

  2. Rewrite the following sentences:

    1. Many companies are developing artificial intelligence.
    2. You’ll pass the exam if you study hard.
    3. They might/may/could find a cure for cancer soon.

  3. Answer the following questions:

    1. Bob is reading about the latest CRISPR news/updates on genetic editing.
    2. Alice suggests editing out her inability to resist chocolate cake or giving her a superpower like instant laundry folding, and a ‘mute button’ for her dad’s snoring gene, and a gene for perfect parallel parking. (Any one or more of these is acceptable).
    3. Alice raises concerns about who decides what’s a ‘fix’ and what’s ‘playing God’, and worries about potential unintended consequences like a six-legged cat that can do calculus. (Any one or more of these is acceptable).

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