The dark side of gene editing

• Weapon of mass destruction or a biological warfare tool to target specific genes or groups of people with harmful viruses or organisms.
• Ethical and social dilemmas regarding the value and diversity of human life, the consent and rights of the edited individuals, and the potential discrimination and inequality that may arise from genetic enhancement or modification.
• Unintended and unpredictable effects on the edited organisms, their offspring, and the environment, such as genetic instability, loss of chromosomes, off-target mutations, ecological disruption, and loss of biodiversity.

Genome or gene editing began as a way to explore the function and structure of DNA, the molecule that carries the genetic information of life. Scientists wanted to understand how DNA works , how it...