CRISPR
VIDEOS & ANIMATIONS
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#1
A Biologist Explains CRISPR to 5 Different People; a Child, a Teen, a College Student, a Grad Student, and a CRISPR Expert. (WIRED Magazine)
WIRED challenged a biologist, Neville Santana, to explain CRISPR to five different types of learners; a child, a teen, a college student, a grad student, and even a CRISPR expert.
Clever. Informative. Illuminating. Helpful. Don't miss this one.
#2
CRISPR: The Gene-Editing Tool Revolutionizing Biomedical Research (60 Minutes)
60 Minutes takes on gene editing in an in-depth interview with CRISPR pioneer Feng Zhang.
"Bill Whitaker: How many diseases are we talking about that this could be used to treat?
Feng Zhang: There are about 6,000 or more diseases that are caused by faulty genes. The hope is that we will be able to address most if not all of them.
Bill Whitaker: Most if not all of them?
Feng Zhang: That's the long-term hope.
Bill Whitaker: So we're talking diseases like Huntington's—
Feng Zhang: Uh-huh.
Bill Whitaker: Sickle Cell.
Feng Zhang: Yup. ALS—hemophilia."
Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, or CRISPR, as it was broadcast to millions of viewers in April 2018. For teachers, a heads-up tool that many parents may have learned about from this single broadcast. For classrooms, a well-produced exciting story about this technology.
#3
CRISPR: Gene Editing and Beyond Animation (The Journal of Nature)
The CRISPR-Cas9 system has revolutionised gene-editing, but cutting DNA isn’t all it can do.
From turning gene expression on and off to fluorescently tagging particular sequences, this animation explores some of the exciting possibilities of CRISPR.
#4
PBS It's Okay to Be Smart - CRISPR and the Future of Human Evolution Video (PBS Digital Studios)
Now that genetic engineering tools like CRISPR allow us to edit our genes, how will that impact human evolution going forward? Are designer babies or eugenics around the corner? Welcome to a world of nonrandom mutation and unnatural selection.
PBS presents these issues in a 7-minute, classroom or homework-friendly video format. Clean animations. Spots of humor. Easy to learn from.
#5
How CRISPR Lets Us Edit Our DNA | Jennifer Doudna (TED Talk)
Geneticist Jennifer Doudna co-invented a groundbreaking new technology for editing genes, called CRISPR-Cas9. The tool allows scientists to make precise edits to DNA strands, which could lead to treatments for genetic diseases … but could also be used to create so-called "designer babies." Doudna reviews how CRISPR-Cas9 works — and asks the scientific community to pause and discuss the ethics of this new tool.
Also - a full text of a January 2018 Reddit Ask Me Anything with Jennifer Doudna is available here.
#6
RadioLab - 2-Part Series on CRISPR (WNYC Radio Studios)
"Out drinking with a few biologists, Jad finds out about something called CRISPR. No, it’s not a robot or the latest dating app, it’s a method for genetic manipulation that is rewriting the way we change DNA. Scientists say they’ll someday be able to use CRISPR to fight cancer and maybe even bring animals back from the dead. Or, pretty much do whatever you want. Jad and Robert delve into how CRISPR does what it does, and consider whether we should be worried about a future full of flying pigs, or the simple fact that scientists have now used CRISPR to tweak the genes of human embryos."
As typical of RadioLab, these CRISPR episodes remind you how powerful just the spoken in be in learning. In depth, interesting, and expanding. Listen, or download options.
#7
What is Gene Editing and How Does It Work? (The Wellcome Trust)
Gene editing allows scientists to change gene sequences by adding, replacing or removing sections of DNA. This animation explains how this technology works, as well as its possible ethical and societal implications.
#8
Rewriting Life: CRISPR Decoded (MIT Tech Review)
A two-minute narrated animation and guide to understanding how the revolutionary gene-editing technology works.
Short, and right to the point.
#9
CRISPR, Sickle Cell Disease, and Bridging Communities (Innovative Genomics Institute)
Innovative Genomics Institute (Dr. Jennifer Doudna's group) lecture on CRISPR and sickle cell from the Minority Coalition for Precision Medicine's Michael Friend, in memory of Shakir Cannon sickle cell patient advocate and leading voice in discussions on CRISPR, precision medicine, and social justice.
#10
Gene Editing Can Now Change an Entire Species Forever | Jennifer Kahn (TED Talk)
CRISPR gene drives allow scientists to change sequences of DNA and guarantee that the resulting edited genetic trait is inherited by future generations, opening up the possibility of altering entire species forever.
More than anything, the technology has led to questions: How will this new power affect humanity? What are we going to use it to change? Are we gods now?
Journalist Jennifer Kahn ponders these questions and shares a potentially powerful application of gene drives: the development of disease-resistant mosquitoes that could knock out malaria and Zika.
BONUS
Bringing It All Into Perspective (Wikipedia)
For a deeper dive there is the elaborate compendium on CRISPR at Wikipedia. History, important studies, biological mechanisms, evolution, applications, patents, policy, society and culture. "
CRISPR (/ˈkrɪspər/) is a family of DNA sequences in bacteria and archaea. The sequences contain snippets of DNA from viruses that have attacked the prokaryote. These snippets are used by the prokaryote to detect and destroy DNA from similar viruses during subsequent attacks. These sequences play a key role in a prokaryotic defense system, and form the basis of a technology known as CRISPR/Cas9 that effectively and specifically changes genes within organisms."