There exists a website from which anyone can order a supply of human DNA. In fact, for under a few thousand pounds, an amateur scientist can kit him or herself out with all the tools necessary to perform gene editing in their own kitchen. Now, that’s not to say that anything will be achieved from such home experiments but, thanks to recent progress in the efficiency of biological tools, technically anyone can have a go.
What’s more exciting is what real scientists can do with these tools. Since sequencing the human genome in the early 2000s, academics have gained a good understanding of certain genes that can cause various diseases. Now, they can use biological tools to correct genetic faults.
Michael Specter, a scientist and journalist at The New Yorker, had a go at doing just that. He ordered a human DNA sample and a specialised tool, which he used to cut a bad gene out of the sample, before replacing it with a good one.