A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution

A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution (2017) by Jennifer A. Doudna and Samuel H. Sternberg represents a pivotal contribution to public understanding of CRISPR gene-editing technology. Doudna, a biochemist at the University of California, Berkeley, helped pioneer CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology and received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this work. Her co-author, Samuel H. Sternberg, conducted doctoral research in her laboratory and is now a professor at Columbia University. 

Published at a crucial moment in the development of genetic engineering, the book emerged as CRISPR technology was moving from laboratories into real-world applications, sparking urgent debates about its implications. The text combines scientific explanation with ethical reflection, as Doudna and Sternberg examine both the revolutionary potential of CRISPR to treat genetic diseases and its troubling capability to modify the human germline, potentially allowing genetic enhancements to be passed down through generations. The authors present the science behind CRISPR while grappling with profound questions about how society should manage this unprecedented power to engineer life itself.

This study guide refers to the 2017 HarperCollins ebook edition.

Note on Attribution: Although A Crack in Creation was co-authored by Jennifer A. Doudna and Samuel H. Sternberg, the narrative employs Doudna’s first-person perspective throughout. This study guide attributes general arguments and analysis to both authors while crediting personal experiences and anecdotes specifically to Doudna.

Summary

In A Crack in Creation, Doudna and Sternberg chronicle the development of CRISPR gene-editing technology and examine its profound implications for humanity’s future. The authors structure their narrative in two parts: “The Tool,” which traces CRISPR’s scientific development, and “The Task,” which explores its applications and ethical challenges. Through this framework, they illustrate how CRISPR represents Unprecedented Power Over Biological Evolutionary Processes, allowing humanity to precisely edit the genetic code of any species for the first time in history.

The book begins by establishing CRISPR’s revolutionary potential through Doudna’s recurring dream of a tsunami—a metaphor for the transformative wave of change this technology represents. The authors explain how CRISPR differs from previous genetic modification techniques, offering unprecedented precision in editing DNA across all species, including humans. This capability, they argue, creates a fundamental Tension Between Scientific Progress and Societal Risk, as the same tools that could eliminate genetic diseases might also be used to create enhanced humans or cause ecological disruption.

In Part 1, Doudna and Sternberg trace CRISPR’s origins through the study of bacterial immune systems, beginning with a case study of a patient named “Kim” whose rare genetic condition was spontaneously cured by a natural DNA repair. The narrative then moves to a pivotal 2006 phone call when Jillian Banfield introduced Doudna to the mysterious CRISPR sequences found in bacteria. The authors detail how subsequent research revealed CRISPR’s role as a bacterial defense mechanism against viruses, leading to Doudna’s collaboration with Emmanuelle Charpentier. This partnership culminated in their 2012 breakthrough demonstrating how CRISPR-Cas9 could be programmed to cut specific DNA sequences, transforming bacterial immunity into a powerful gene-editing tool.

The authors document CRISPR’s rapid adoption across the scientific community, describing how researchers quickly applied the technology to edit genes in various organisms, from mice and monkeys to crops and human cells. The accessibility of CRISPR tools, distributed through organizations like Addgene, democratized gene editing and accelerated its development. This democratization, while advancing scientific progress, also raised concerns about the technology’s potential misuse, highlighting the Tension Between Scientific Progress and Societal Risk.

In Part 2, Doudna and Sternberg explore CRISPR’s wide-ranging applications and implications. They examine its use in agriculture to create enhanced crops resistant to disease and livestock with desirable traits, its potential to eliminate diseases through gene drives in mosquito populations, and its promising medical applications for treating genetic disorders. The authors detail successful experiments in correcting mutations responsible for conditions like sickle cell disease, muscular dystrophy, and congenital blindness while acknowledging the challenges of delivering CRISPR components effectively to target tissues.

The narrative takes a more personal turn as Doudna describes her growing concern about CRISPR’s potential misuse, particularly regarding human germline editing. A meeting with a biotech entrepreneur proposing to create “enhanced” babies prompted her recognition of Scientists’ Ethical Duty to Engage in Public Discourse. This led her to organize discussions about ethical guidelines for the technology, including a crucial meeting in Napa Valley and the first International Summit on Human Gene Editing. The authors draw parallels between CRISPR and earlier technological breakthroughs like nuclear weapons and recombinant DNA, emphasizing how scientific advances require careful consideration of their societal implications.

The book culminates with an examination of the first human embryo experiments using CRISPR, conducted at Sun Yat-sen University in China, and their implications. Doudna and Sternberg analyze various perspectives on germline editing, from those viewing it as a moral imperative to prevent suffering to those warning against its potential to exacerbate social inequalities. They explore challenges in safety, ethics, and regulation while acknowledging the unprecedented nature of humanity’s ability to direct its own evolution, representing perhaps the most profound example of Unprecedented Power Over Biological Evolutionary Processes.

In the Epilogue, the authors challenge the notion that technological progress should be driven solely by engineering goals. They argue for the importance of curiosity-driven research, citing CRISPR’s emergence from basic studies of bacterial immunity rather than a targeted effort to develop gene-editing technology. Doudna and Sternberg conclude by emphasizing Scientists’ Ethical Duty to Engage in Public Discourse, arguing that both the scientific community and the general public must participate in decisions about how this powerful technology should be used. The authors maintain that humanity’s newfound ability to edit the genome of every species demands careful consideration and broad public engagement to ensure responsible development and application of gene-editing technology.