Welcome to Litsy!

Open to those who signed up for #Book2Book with @AllDebooks

Comment below if you would like this copy of A Crack in Creation by Jennifer Doudna, one of the scientists who won the Nobel Prize for gene editing with CRISPR. If multiple people request it, I‘ll hold a drawing to determine the winner on Sept 16.

This book, from a scientist who won a 2020 Nobel prize for CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, brings the reader up to speed on CRISPR‘s discovery, how it works, and how it compares to prior technology. (It‘s a quantum leap!)

Published one year before the human “CRISPR babies” were born in 2018, the book‘s discussion on the ethics of the marvelous and frightening potential uses of this tech is only more prescient and imperative today. #NonfictionNovember

#nonfiction2018 This was my April read in non-fiction and honestly, although she really worked to make the gene based biology understandable to a lay reader, the science was over my head. However, the chapters regarding history and the ethical questions that are arising from our new found ability to edit our genes, are clear and compelling. Are we equipped to make the difficult and dangerous decisions we face as a society to prevent disease?

Great primer on gene editing, but probably not super accessible for novices. At times the writing feels repetitive and perhaps a bit self-aggrandizing...but, Doudna is one of the most brilliant biochemists of her generation, so that's probably warranted.

I want to work on CRISPR, I want to so bad.

The book isn't just about the science, though it explains that with beautiful clarity. It also notes a lot of the ethical issues and the need for the non scientific community to engage.

If you want to learn about CRISPR and its potential for curing genetic diseases, tackling cancer, HIV, malaria... Start with this book.

So far, a beautifully simple explanation of how CRISPR works and what it can do.

I really hope I graduate and get into research soon enough to really contribute to CRISPR.