Ethical Virus

Ethical science

Top science ethical issues
1. CRISPR/Cas9—technology for gene editing

It's not surprising that CRISPR made this 2016 list. It made all kinds of end-of-the-year lists—good, bad and indifferent. Invented in 2012, the genetic engineering technique, which is capable of quickly, easily and inexpensively performing precise changes in DNA, saw dramatically increased interest in 2015, and shows no signs of a slowdown as we enter 2016.

The main concern with CRISPR is that it can be used to perform germline genetic modifications, which means making changes in a human egg, sperm or embryo. These modifications would be passed down for generations, impacting an entire lineage rather than just one person.Will removing one disease give rise to a different disease? Could a brand new disease spring up? What will changes and splices in DNA mean for the overall human genome?

Another concern is this technology could open the door to what is called "designer babies," or genetically engineered children. For example, someone could use CRISPR to "make" a highly intelligent, brown-haired, blue-eyed child, or one that is given both height and athletic ability. The possibilities are endless—as are the ethical implications.

2. Whole genome diagnosis—record and catalog the genomes of newborns

A second genetic technology on the list is genome sequencing for newborns. A large research project already underway is collecting drops of newborns' blood to fully map their genetic code, thereby screening for all current and future health risks.

Today, U.S. babies have a heel pricked in the hospital to provide a spot of blood to be tested for signs of at least 30 rare diseases. This newborn screening catches several thousand affected babies each year in time for early treatment to prevent death, brain damage or other disabilities. However, a complete genome sequence would go well beyond the heel-prick test, allowing a search for potentially hundreds of other conditions, some that arise in childhood and some later, some preventable and some not.

This raises multiple questions, like, should parents be told only about childhood threats? Or would they also want to learn if their babies carried a key gene for, say, breast cancer after they're grown? Could knowing about future risks alter how a family treats an otherwise healthy child? And how accurate is the technology—could it raise too many false alarms?

The NIH is currently funding multiple studies to investigate the best use of rapid whole genome sequencing for newborns.

3. Talking Barbie—a new Barbie that records conversations with your child

This is one of the first mainstream artificial intelligence toys on the market. When a child activates a microphone inside Hello Barbie's necklace, his/her words will be recorded and transmitted to computer servers. Speech recognition software will convert the audio message to analyzable text, enabling the "correct" response to be chosen out of thousands of pre-scripted lines. Hello Barbie is constantly connected to WiFi and records all communication to improve her conversation skills.

The problem lies in the fact that Barbie is a child's toy. Children are not adults. Children do not comprehend the outside world as adults do. If a child misunderstands a conversation between his/her parents and relays it to Barbie—like complaints about a coworker such as, "I want to shoot him every time he talks"—what happens next? Does that exaggerated information make it to the police? On the other hand, it could be credible information, or personal information a child in danger is more willing to tell a toy than an adult.

Additionally, as we've been learning more and more, almost everything connected to WiFi is open to hacking. According to Notre Dame, Barbie is set up as a wireless access point with the name "Barbie" followed by four random characters. This makes spoofing a connection easy, making conversations susceptible to surveillance or hacking.