Gene drives could stop the world’s oldest problems

Kevin Esvelt worries more than the average scientist. It’s a consequence of having invented a technology powerful enough to alter an entire species.

In 2013, Esvelt came up with the concept of CRISPR-based gene drive. The technology uses CRISPR, a gene editing tool, to hack the laws of inheritance: It allows scientists to genetically modify a few individuals that then spread a modified gene throughout an entire population, and eventually, every population around the world.