Mail-Order CRISPR Kits Allow Anyone to Hack DNA
scientificamerican.com
Mail-Order CRISPR Kits Allow Anyone to Hack DNA
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Re: Mail-Order CRISPR Kits Allow Anyone to Hack DNA
#2[deleted]
Re: Mail-Order CRISPR Kits Allow Anyone to Hack DNA
#3Re: Mail-Order CRISPR Kits Allow Anyone to Hack DNA
#4Finally, what about the nightmare scenario: Is CRISPR so easy to use that we need to worry about biohackers—either accidentally or intentionally—creating dangerous pathogens? Carroll and others think that the danger of putting CRISPR in the hands of the average person is relatively low. “People have imagined scenarios where scientists could use CRISPR to generate a virulent pathogen, ” he says. “How big is the risk? It’s not zero, but it’s fairly small.” Gersbach agrees. “Right now, it’s difficult to imagine how it’d be dangerous in a real way,” he explains
It's hard for "normal" people to imagine how sociopaths or those with destructive aims will behave when given flexible tools like this. It's kind of like how no one anticipated how social media networks whose ostensible purpose is to connect friends could be used to undermine elections, abet fraud, commit character assassination, and drive people to suicide. And while the real-life example of using CRISPR to switch the limbs of tiny crustaceans sounds harmless, wait til someone mutates something bigger and more familiar for "better" attributes or capabilities that can cause direct harm or inadvertent effects. It's probably already happened ... but we may not understand the impact for years.
Re: Mail-Order CRISPR Kits Allow Anyone to Hack DNA
#5Finally, what about the nightmare scenario: Is CRISPR so easy to use that we need to worry about biohackers—either accidentally or intentionally—creating dangerous pathogens? Carroll and others think that the danger of putting CRISPR in the hands of the average person is relatively low. “People have imagined scenarios where scientists could use CRISPR to generate a virulent pathogen, ” he says. “How big is the risk?…
I wonder what it says about me that it's extremely easy for me to think of most of these implications..
People are just territorial, violent animals that are barely domesticated via a few thousand years of society.
Re: Mail-Order CRISPR Kits Allow Anyone to Hack DNA
#6Why a moral panic instead of celebrating the achievement?
xx years ago, mail-order computer kits allowed absolutely anyone to hack code (and, gasp! illegally copy software or create computer viruses!)
yy years ago, mail-order color printers and scanners allowed absolutely anyone to hack paper (and, gasp! forge documents)
Is this part of a war against freedom? Then we are inconsistent. We should also lament on how Intel ME backdoors have become less efficient due to free software activist disabling them, or the demise of the Clipper chip promoted during the Clinton years.
Re: Mail-Order CRISPR Kits Allow Anyone to Hack DNA
#7Why a moral panic instead of celebrating the achievement? xx years ago, mail-order computer kits allowed absolutely anyone to hack code (and, gasp! illegally copy software or create computer viruses!) yy years ago, mail-order color printers and scanners allowed absolutely anyone to hack paper (and, gasp! forge documents) Is this part of a war against freedom? Then we are inconsistent. We should also lament on how Int…
People are worried about the humans lives that will be wiped out as free software activists disable the broken ones.
Re: Mail-Order CRISPR Kits Allow Anyone to Hack DNA
#8This will really take homebrew beer to the next level.
I can't imagine these kits allow modification of anything more than a bacteria,virus, or fungus.
I'm no biologist though.
Is someone making a black death 2.0 in their garage even possible ?
Re: Mail-Order CRISPR Kits Allow Anyone to Hack DNA
#9Finally, what about the nightmare scenario: Is CRISPR so easy to use that we need to worry about biohackers—either accidentally or intentionally—creating dangerous pathogens? Carroll and others think that the danger of putting CRISPR in the hands of the average person is relatively low. “People have imagined scenarios where scientists could use CRISPR to generate a virulent pathogen, ” he says. “How big is the risk?…
When I was a bio undergrad student I learned once (in discussion with a professor) about a disturbingly simple and effective GMO path to weaponized microbes discovered back in the 70s by some bio-weapons researchers. This was long before CRISPR. Totally ingenious, simple, and absolute nightmare fuel. I will not repeat it here. The ideas are out there but I'm not going to help anyone find it.
Suffice to say that I think it's pure luck that we have not yet had a biological 9/11 attack or worse. Normal people do have trouble imagining what psychopaths will do with things. Our brains do not naturally go there.
A good example is what is now being done with social media, mobile, and the Internet in general: radical "dopamine" gamification to make it actually addictive, extreme political manipulation, and all powered by ubiquitous surveillance. There's presently a race to develop the first true AI con artist capable of autonomously conning humans into believing arbitrary things. I did not imagine most of this in 2000 because I'm not a psychopath. I was aware of the surveillance dangers of the Internet but I never pictured the degree to which it would be weaponized against the population by amoral or actively malicious actors.
https://thinkprogress.org/hermann-park-protest-houston-28895...
Now whoever triggered that "flash mob" for teh lulz can mail order CRISPR.
Sleep well.
Re: Mail-Order CRISPR Kits Allow Anyone to Hack DNA
#10I am not afraid of what "biohackers" can do with CRISPR. It's very hard to come up with "pandemic viruses", even for nature, let alone for scientists, or even hobbyists.
At worst, the capabilities CRISPR and other techniques from synthetic biology give to genuine researchers will offset any mischief a hobbyist can do.