The risks of using gene drives to get rid of ‘pesky species’
The risks of using gene drives to get rid of ‘pesky species’
Tags: Biodiversity/Conservation, Gene drive syntheticR. Lewis, Genetic Literacy Project, 2020.
The mammals of New Zealand have long posed a threat to native species. The Predator Free 2050 program is an effort to rid the island of these invaders – including using the tools of CRISPR-based genome editing to create a gene drive to jumpstart extinctions.
It’s a very bad idea.