· 2 min read
illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Wall Street Journal or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: A San Francisco startup, Preventive—funded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong—is moving toward creating a genetically engineered baby
• The company aims to edit embryos to prevent inherited disease and potentially enhance traits like intelligence, despite global bans
• A couple carrying a genetic disorder has reportedly been identified for participation
🔭 The context: Human embryo editing for reproduction is illegal in the U.S. and banned in over 70 countries due to ethical and safety risks
• While CRISPR and similar tools have advanced science, germline editing remains a global red line
• Yet, wealthy investors are increasingly backing startups seeking to disrupt traditional bioethics and medicine
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Unchecked genetic engineering risks deepening inequality, altering population traits, and bypassing global governance
• Though it may reduce disease burden, proceeding without consensus undermines bioethical safeguards critical to sustainability and public trust
• A fragmented approach could lead to unregulated experimentation
⏭️ What's next: Preventive may seek to operate in countries with lax regulations, challenging global norms. Regulators in the U.S., EU, and China face renewed pressure to clarify legal boundaries
• The case could prompt updates to international genome-editing frameworks, including the WHO’s 2019 guidance
💬 One quote: “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” said Dr. Françoise Baylis, WHO genome editing adviser
📈 One stat: Over 70 countries ban or restrict human germline editing, per the Center for Genetics and Society.
See on illuminem's Data Hub™ the sustainability performance of Microsoft, Meta, and Nvidia and their peers OpenAI and Alphabet
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