These debates—the manipulation of reproduction and development, or of embryos to change their genes—are ricocheting around the globe as I write this (and I wrote extensively about the promises as well as the perils of these technologies in The Gene). The arguments won’t be resolved easily, for they impinge not just on the fundamental features of cells, but also on the fundamental features of humans. The only way to find a reasonable answer, or even a compromise, lies in a continuous engagement with evolving debate about the limits of scientific intervention, and the advancing front of cellular
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