Editing the embryo: removing harmful gene mutations - Science Weekly podcast

Hannah Devlin explores the science and ethics behind a landmark study that successfully edited the genomes of developing embryos. How did they do it? What did they hope to achieve? And, further down the line, what kind of doors might research like this open?

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On 2 August, Nature published a paper that detailed how a team of scientists had successfully used gene editing to mend heart disease mutations in human embryos. A world first, this proof-of-principle could ultimately lead to entirely new treatments for genetic diseases. That said, the study also poses profound ethical questions about what it means to be human.