The CRISPR Babies
Distillations | Science History Institute
In 2018 news broke that a Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, had used CRISPR to edit human embryos, and twin girls had been born as a result. The story set off an explosive bioethical controversy. As gene editing expert Kiran Musunuru put it, “He Jiankui’s genetic misadventures were the biggest medical story of the century so far.” Both scientists and the public had a lot of questions. What was the unmet medical need that justified the gene editing? Was the science ready for prime time? And, if it was, was He Jiankui the right scientist to do it? Seven years later these questions are far...
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Humans and Monsters: An Interview with Surekha Davies
Distillations | Science History Institute
The fears about genetic engineering were stoked when experiments took off in the 1970s. From lab leaks to disease epidemics to the ability to make “Frankenstein creations,” many of those fears are still with us today. We talk to author Surekha Davies about her latest book, why she thinks of monsters as category breakers and why blurring boundaries can be so terrifying for us, but maybe doesn't have to be. Credits Host: Executive Producer: Producer: Associate Producer: Audio Engineer: Music by Resource List Davies, Surekha. . University of California...
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IVF: An Interview with Robin Marantz
Distillations | Science History Institute
Our producer Rigoberto Hernandez spoke with Robin Marantz, the author of Pandora’s Baby: How the First Test Tube Babies Sparked the Reproductive Revolution. She tells us about the history of IVF, from the first known artificial insemination by donor produced in Philadelphia in the 19th century to the scientific race in the 1960s and 1970s that resulted in the first so-called “test-tube baby.” Credits Host: Executive Producer: Producer: Associate Producer: Audio Engineer: Music by Resource List Henig, Robin Marantz. . Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory...
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Gene Therapy’s Families
Distillations | Science History Institute
When Rebekah and Evan Lockard’s daughter, Naomi, was diagnosed with a devastating ultra-rare genetic disease, they didn’t know where to turn. Then they found Terry Pirovolakis, an IT professional who had made a gene therapy for his son with the same disease. But the process of getting Naomi treated has been an uphill battle, full of financial and logistical obstacles. The Lockard’s story flips the question we’ve been asking all season on its head. Instead of wondering, "if we could do something, should we," we're now asking, "if we can do something that helps patients, should we do it...
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Gene Therapy’s Dark Ages
Distillations | Science History Institute
Gene therapy is based on a simple-sounding, yet deceptively complicated premise: adding or replacing faulty genes to fix medical problems. A compelling idea that came out of breakthroughs in DNA research, the field grew lightning fast. But the death of teenager Jesse Gelsinger after a gene therapy clinical trial left the public and scientists questioning the field’s promise. Why did researchers push ahead with clinical trials despite gene therapy still being in its infancy? What does the Jesse Gelsinger story tell us about the personal risk behind medical breakthroughs? Credits...
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'The Andromeda Strain': An Interview with Luis Campos
Distillations | Science History Institute
Producer Mariel Carr talks to historian of science and former Science History Institute fellow, , about his article “Strains of Andromeda: The Cosmic Potential Hazards of Genetic Engineering." He shares how Michael Crichton’s first novel and the subsequent film influenced the conversation and controversy around recombinant DNA research in the 1970s. Credits Host: Executive Producer: Producer: Associate Producer: Audio Engineer: Music by Resource List . IMDb. Campos, Luis A. "."
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The People vs. Recombinant DNA
Distillations | Science History Institute
In 1976, Harvard University wanted to build a specialized lab for recombinant DNA research. But first, it had to get permission from the city of Cambridge. The resulting city council hearings drew TV stations and captured the attention of the whole country. At the center of the controversy? A wise-talking mayor, a young outspoken molecular biologist, and an important question: in scientific research, how much say should the public have? Credits Host: Executive Producer: Producer: Associate Producer: Audio Engineer: Resource List Cobb, Matthew. New York: Basic...
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Science, Interrupted: Part 2
Distillations | Science History Institute
Genetic engineering breakthroughs in the late 1960s and early 1970s came with a lot of promise—and peril too. Fears about what could happen with recombinant DNA experiments put scientists in the middle of a moral dilemma. Did they have a responsibility to consider how others might use their work? Or was their place simply to be on the lab bench? In this two-part episode, we’ll share the story about the first time scientists stopped and considered the ramifications of their work, with a self-imposed moratorium. And we’ll explore all the controversy that led to the historic pivotal...
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Science, Interrupted: Part 1
Distillations | Science History Institute
Genetic engineering breakthroughs in the late 1960s and early 1970s came with a lot of promise—and peril too. Fears about what could happen with recombinant DNA experiments put scientists in the middle of a moral dilemma. Did they have a responsibility to consider how others might use their work? Or was their place simply to be on the lab bench? In this two-part episode, we’ll share the story about the first time scientists stopped and considered the ramifications of their work, with a self-imposed moratorium. And we’ll explore all the controversy that led to the historic pivotal...
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New Season Trailer! Coming August 5th.
Distillations | Science History Institute
Check out our new season, dropping weekly on Tuesdays, starting August 5th.
info_outlineIn 1976, Harvard University wanted to build a specialized lab for recombinant DNA research. But first, it had to get permission from the city of Cambridge. The resulting city council hearings drew TV stations and captured the attention of the whole country. At the center of the controversy? A wise-talking mayor, a young outspoken molecular biologist, and an important question: in scientific research, how much say should the public have?
Credits
Host: Alexis Pedrick
Executive Producer: Mariel Carr
Producer: Rigoberto Hernandez
Associate Producer: Sarah Kaplan
Audio Engineer: Samia Bouzid
Resource List
Cobb, Matthew. As Gods: A Moral History of the Genetic Age. New York: Basic Books, 2021.
Krimsky, Sheldon. Genetic Alchemy: A Social History of the Recombinant DNA Controversy. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1984.
Rogers, Michael. “Biohazard.”
Nova: The Gene Engineers. Dailymotion.
“Cambridge DNA Hearings, 1976.” Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Oral History Program, oral history collection on the recombinant DNA controversy.
“Cambridge RDNA hearings, volume 1, 1976.” Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Oral History Program, oral history collection on the recombinant DNA controversy.
“National Academy of Sciences. Forum. Washington, DC, 1977 March 7–9.” Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Oral History Program, oral history collection on the recombinant DNA controversy.
“The MacNeil/Lehrer Report: Genetic Engineering.” American Archive of Public Broadcasting.
From Controversy to Cure: Inside the Cambridge Biotech Boom. MIT Video Productions.
“Pantechnicon; Dna, 1976.” WGBH.
The Andromeda Strain. IMDb.
Jurassic Park. IMDb.
CBS News – 04.06.1977
NBC News – 05.24.1977