# Gene Editing Can Permanently Alter Human Genomes by Stuart Firestein > “The all-consuming news story in biology this year—this decade really—is the discovery of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and its practical application for gene editing. At least three other essays in this book mention or refer to this new technology; there have been numerous articles in the popular press. Most of that attention has been directed at the tremendous and potentially dangerous power of this new technology: it allows "editing" the DNA of genomes, including those of humans, in a way that would be permanent—that is heritable through generations.” > **— Stuart Firestein**, *2016, Edge Annual Question, “WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST INTERESTING RECENT [SCIENTIFIC”* ## Sources and Context - **Direct Edge response and surrounding essay:** [Edge response](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/26718) — Edge published this passage in its 2016 Annual Question collection, *WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST INTERESTING RECENT [SCIENTIFIC*. - **Exact archived wording:** “The all-consuming news story in biology this year—this decade really—is the discovery of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and its practical application for gene editing. At least three other essays in this book mention or refer to this new technology; there have been numerous articles in the popular press. Most of that attention has been directed at the tremendous and potentially dangerous power of this new technology: it allows "editing" the DNA of genomes, including those of humans, in a way that would be permanent—that is heritable through generations.” - **Complete local collection index:** [[research/Edge 2016 Full Quotation Curation|Edge 2016 Full Quotation Curation]] — retained source-first record for the response cohort and this passage's promotion status. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Edge|Edge]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Greatest Transformation in Human History|The Greatest Transformation in Human History]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Genomics|Genomics]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Genomics|Genomics]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “The all-consuming news story in biology this year—this decade really—is the discovery of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and its practical application for gene editing. At least three other essays in this book mention or refer to this new technology; there have been numerous articles in the popular press. Most of that attention has been directed at the tremendous and potentially dangerous power of this new technology: it allows "editing" the DNA of genomes, including those of humans, in a way that would be permanent—that is heritable through generations.” — Stuart Firestein, 2016, Edge Annual Question, “WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST INTERESTING RECENT [SCIENTIFIC” https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-stuart-firestein-gene-editing-human-genomes ```