Gene Studio

Using science to save lives is great. Using it just for fun? Maybe not so much.

In the UK, there are now eight babies who have something unusual – three parents! They have a dad, a regular mom (let’s call her Mummy-I), and a second mom (Mummy-II). But Mummy-II won’t be in birthday pictures or family vacations. She only gave a tiny bit – just 0.1% – of the baby’s genes. That’s like 1 part in 1,000!

Why did she help at all? Because that tiny bit of DNA can stop babies from getting a very serious illness called mitochondrial disease. It’s rare, but dangerous, and right now, there’s no cure. The special science used to fix this is called mitochondrial replacement. It’s not about making “perfect” babies with blue eyes or blonde hair – it’s about helping babies be healthy.

Now, some people do try to make “designer babies.” And they don’t always need super high-tech labs. For example, sperm banks let parents choose donors based on traits like height or eye colour. In 2009, a clinic in Los Angeles even let parents choose things like skin and hair colour before the baby was even born!

A Chinese scientist named He Jiankui went much further in 2018. He edited genes to try to create designer babies. It was such a big deal that he was sent to jail for 3 years! But he’s out now, and he says people are again interested in his work.

Still, just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should. Wanting your baby to be super smart or super good-looking might not work out the way you expect. As the joke goes, if a smart man and a pretty woman wanted a baby with his brain and her looks, what if the baby ends up with her brain and his looks?

So – using science to help sick babies? Amazing. Using it just to try and create the “perfect” kid? Not so smart.

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