Biosecurity

Spy Chief Calls Gene Editing a Weapon of Mass Destruction 

Gene editing, like CRISPR, is a scientific breakthrough that may help cure diseases, prevent aging, and change humanity. According to the US intelligence community, it’s also a potential weapon of mass destruction.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper added gene editing to a list of threats that includes North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs and chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria. “Research in genome editing conducted by countries with different regulatory or ethical standards than those of Western countries probably increases the risk of the creation of potentially harmful biological agents or products,” Clapper wrote.