What is CRISPR? And why it should matter to you!

What is CRISPR? And why it should matter to you!

What is CRISPR? (AKA Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)  In plain language - Is a technique that lets scientists edit DNA in plants and animals. It is a family of DNA sequences found in the genomes of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria and archaea. These sequences are derived from DNA fragments of bacteria which were previously infected. They are used to detect and destroy DNA from similar bacteria during subsequent infection.  Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRISPR

CRISPR isn’t a drug. It’s a Science technique to edit DNA (If you need a recap from middle school Science on DNA) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA

How Does it work?  Scientists start with RNA (refresher on RNA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA) - wait I have heard of RNA in the past 18 or so months. Just can't put my finger on it. Hey my vaccine line is moving perhaps, I will recall it later.  Scientists cut DNA with CRISPR/Cas9 to make gene changes, or mutations.

CRISPR Tools utilized to edit Genome - CRISPR/Cas9 to cut and thus disable the virus and make DNA edits

What happens if a scientist goes mad and want's to create something unimaginable or say bring back a species that died 10's of 1000's of years ago? Well, it seems there is a Group called Colossal and they recently landed $15 million in funding to utilize CRISPR and Woolly Mammoth gene's to bring them back from Extinction. Through the use of artificial wombs and surrogate Elephants carry, said babies.  Have no worries they would be birthed and raised in the Arctic. It's not like anything important goes on way up there in the Arctic.  Oh, wait there is a rush to find more Oil (Oh yes, he just said the O word - Fossil fuels get over it) Colossal goals are to bring Woolly Mammoth back from extinction by 2027. Yes, just a few short years away. 

What could go wrong?  An Ancient beast in a delicate modern world, makes one think the Bull in a China shop on Roids and GH concurrently.  Can't wait for the time frame when the Woolly's decide its time to migrate and run across an Oil encampment and push right through their security fences because they can. They crush what ever lies in their path people, ATV's, perhaps even buildings, what happens if they smash an oil rig... read that, as a ecological disaster.  Additionally,  you wouldn't be able to take action against a protected animal. Because, you know once they are birthed they will be auto added to the endangered species list(s).   I know, not very plausible, but hey its a fun exercise. Makes one wonder if The Lost World Movies were just a way to ensure humanity this technology and experimentation were coming and it everything would be alright. 

Getting back to the story...What is the long term goal?  To have people take high speed transports to the Arctic zoo to see these creatures? Not sure how this benefits mankind as a whole? What lessons do we garner from an extinct animal?

Sounds like another half cocked idea - Here are few others:

• Like the guy that convinced someone to bring Kudzu into the USA to stem soil erosion. Yeah, that worked out well, now you have a fully invasive plant that has taken over the South East USA; good decision? Can't burn it out nor dig it out due to the invasive root system. 
• Or how about the one that said we should bring in the Gypsy Moths to help combat something or other. Those same creatures have destroyed millions of acres of trees in the North East USA.  You might recalling their web entangling branches and as all the foliage is stripped by them.
• Wait, there is more just this year the USA (after a decade of lobbying effort) released Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in the Key West Area of Florida. I am sure the mosquitos will stay isolated and not migrate anywhere they were not granted permission to travel. Nor have we had enough time to study the impact as this only took place in May '21, it was presented to FL residents as a way to combat insecticide resistant mosquitoes. When is the first review baseline? Wonder where all the press coverage will be when this fails to accomplish the goals? Who will be held accountable?

Other CRISPR Projects you might be aware of - Dolly the Sheep, then a few years later Chinese Biologists cloned primates using the same technique used to make Dolly. Recall Dolly died at an early of 6 from a rare lung disease, so this CRISPR is not fool proof!

Summary - I am sure CRISPR holds promise, though there are no treatments or cures yet!  Why don't they start with something like how to prevent yard grass from growing beyond 3.5" high or to prevent weeds from growing?  Sounds like a great way to save tons of fossil fuels and subsequent exhaust from being put into the atmosphere. Think of all the time back everyone would have in their summers if they solved just these two issues? IF CRISPR use grows who will regulate the projects and applications, sounds like a great thing to Government Regulation day 1, not a day later!