Why is my hair blonde and straight? And why are my eyes blue?
The simple answer.......
is DNA.
This is a strand of DNA. The thing that makes each of us unique.
But what if I told you that we can change our DNA?
Let me show you.
Deoxyribose nucleic acid is made of many small nucleotides
made of a deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group,
and a nitrogenous base
Each nucleotide is then linked together through bonds in the phosphate group
and in the sugar to make half a strand of DNA.
DNA has two strands, so one strand of DNA is then linked together
through hydrogen bonds in the nitrogenous bases.
An easier way to understand a strand of DNA is that a nucleotide,
with its nitrogenous base, is like a word.
Genes are sentences that are formed from the nucleotides, which act
as words, and a whole strand of DNA
is the paragraph of instructions which controls our cells.
What if I told you that we could change the entire sentence?
Not by genetic mistakes, but actually changing
genes
This is a possibility with the scientific innovation
CRISPR gene editing.
The CRISPR gene-editing process utilizes a CAS9 enzyme which breaks
the hydrogen bonds between DNA’s nitrogenous bases and also
uses guiding RNA within the enzyme to find targeted
genes.
Then, the natural DNA repair mechanism attempts to fix the
gene through trial and error by
substituting nucleotides. But this is when scientists
can use DNA’s natural repair mechanism to
their advantage and attempt to change the entire gene sequence
The easier way to see CRISPR is that it is almost a pair of scissors
cutting through a DNA strand. It cuts the unwanted
nucleotides of the unwanted gene, or it could add
new nucleotides on the gene specified.
The crazy thing is, once CRISPR is fully understood by
scientists, humans can manipulate DNA to achieve
any outcome!
For example, farming in the desert is limited by the weather
when the temperature exceeds 28 degrees Celsius.
But, if scientists can genetically engineer plants
to become more heat resistant, farming won’t be
a problem. Have you ever wanted to see a dinosaur?
Well, with CRISPR, scientists can potentially reintroduce extinct
animals back into the environment. This is
achieved by inserting CRISPR genes into modern-day relatives
of extinct animals.
Then, gradually over time, the modified animal
will start to resemble the extinct breed.
For example, Harvard is trying to reintroduce the Wooly Mammoth.
RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN!
Arguably, one of the most useful aspects of CRISPR
is that it could cure or prevent genetic diseases
like Parkinson's. Fully understanding how to manipulate
DNA could be revolutionary
and change almost every aspect of our lives.
CRISPR could lead the world into a more biodiverse and safe planet
but the question, however, is not how, but when will it
but when will it be used to its full potential? Thank you guys for listening.
but when will it be used to its full potential? Thank you guys for listening.
