What is CRISPR? Although CRISPR has been featured in the news quite a bit lately, many are in a state of confusion about the details of the technology. There are some misperceptions about what it's all about and we're here to clear up the facts!
CRISPR 'EDITS' DOESN'T 'MODIFY
Yes, there's a difference! CRISPR edits the DNA and deletes certain sections in contrast to GM.1 GM introduces foreign DNA into the organism, thus altering the DNA.2 This foreign DNA can also be from plants, bacteria or insects. Click over here now to discover additional info on CRISPR systems.
CRISPR IS MUCH PRECISCENT THAN GM and it's the next step to get started.
CRISPR will have the upper hand if they had to face off in a darts game. It's more precise than GM in a number of ways. In contrast to GM, CRISPR only works with genes that are already present. CRISPR "rewrites" what is already there within your DNA by separating those specific genes. It does this by working with the four bases that compose the genes A, T, C and G. The technology now having progressed to a point where it can recognize individual bases, and it's becoming widespread practice to do so.4 Contrary to this, GM lacks such precision because it uses a more extensive, approach of a hit-and-hope approach.5 If you want to learn more about GM, read our article about how this particular branch of biotech operates.
IT'S STARTING TO GET THE SAME REGULATIONS AS GM
CRISPR was not as subject to regulation like GM until recently. This was due in part to how new the technology was, having only been in use since 2013.6 The situation changed July 2018 when EU courts decided that CRISPR was under the same regulations as GM.7 However, this obviously isn't the case for countries like the US or China, so the future for the regulation of research across the globe is not yet clear.
CRISPR IS A CHEAP CHIPS
It is possible to think that the introduction of a new technology into food production is going to increase the cost. But CRISPR is less expensive and more economical than existing bioengineering strategies. It doesn't require a large expensive laboratory or a lot of equipment. It's all you need is the appropriate RNA fragment, the appropriate chemicals and enzymes.8
CRISPR IS NOT THE HEAVEN of FOOD RIGHT NOW.
While it's a top contender in the race to address global food issues, potentially improving yields and resistance to environmental stress to meet the growing demand for food, CRISPR is a long way to go. It's an endurance race and not a sprint and CRISPR is still getting started.
Despite being a more precise and efficient technique than its predecessor (GM), that does not mean that it's foolproof. CRISPR can act in unintentional regions of the genome, just like GM. CRISPR may act in undesirable areas of the genome just as GM. However, it's not always accurate. Studies have demonstrated that it can sometimes cause inaccurate deletions. And with CRISPR, that day may not be as far away as we'd believed.
|
|
Moose -- Dem0n
Oh_Man -- did you give all animations for researching/recruiting buildings for protoss and zerg?
Symmetry -- Roy