On a related note, <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;science&#x2F;2015&#x2F;dec&#x2F;03&#x2F;gene-editing-summit-rules-out-ban-on-embryos-destined-to-become-people-dna-human" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;science&#x2F;2015&#x2F;dec&#x2F;03&#x2F;gene-editing-...</a><p>&quot;<i>A landmark meeting of scientists convened to debate the future of human gene editing has ruled out a ban on modifying human embryos that are destined to become people … but … made clear that altering the DNA of human embryos for clinical purposes was unacceptable given the unknown risks today and noted that even the most compelling cases to use the procedure were limited.<p>…the national academies of the US, UK and China …  considered: the potential for therapies in adult tissues, such as blood cells and muscles; the ethics of modifying embryos for research only; and most importantly whether altering the DNA of human embryos to prevent inherited diseases was acceptable and useful.&quot;</i><p>And <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.slate.com&#x2F;articles&#x2F;health_and_science&#x2F;science&#x2F;2015&#x2F;11&#x2F;crispr_genetic_modification_should_not_be_used_on_humans.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.slate.com&#x2F;articles&#x2F;health_and_science&#x2F;science&#x2F;201...</a><p><i>&quot;… The CRISPR system has a combination of tools that allow it to locate specific genomic addresses, snip DNA with a molecular scissors right there, and then rewrite the genetic code at the site of the cut … research using CRISPR to produce genetically modified animals suggests that the same system could in principle successfully create human designer babies … I call these hypothetical genetically modified human beings GMO sapiens as a mashup of GMO and Homo sapiens …<p>In China just a few months ago, researchers said they already did just that and sparked a firestorm in the science community. Strangely, the public has been relatively unaware of this development and the ensuing debate. The researchers made genetically modified human embryos as a research exercise and let them develop for only a few days in the lab. But if someone else followed suit and simply implanted the CRISPR’d human embryos into a surrogate, then boom—we may have the first GMO sapiens.&quot;</i>