I love this! It's such a huge step in the right direction, I just wish they would perfect it before introducing the gene slices into the wild: https://phys.org/news/2017-05-crispr-gene-hundreds-unintended-mutations.html
The wild, in this case, being human beings who reproduce unchecked, with no restrictions. Also, is this the first step in a new human species?
Well, I'm sure we are a ways away from any official attempt to birth a human being post-CRISPR - though CRISPR is easy enough that it could be attempted, theoretically, on the down low i guess.
In terms of a new human species - one measure would be whether homo sapiens could continue to breed with a CRISPR'd person - answer is almost certainly yes, barring some terrible mistake.
Otherwise, the sorts of changes being made with CRISPR so far are not the sort which might cause a species-level differentiation.
What a strange world we are making for ourselves.
I guess what I was thinking, is, the first CRISPR baby being the start of a new lineage, though it would probably take many generations to branch off, and I doubt it would be anything to extreme.
I was just reading an article about scientists saying this should be confined to the lab.
We have at least until the first CRISPR baby becomes sexually mature/active, but then what? Do we pass a law forbidding these people from reproducing because of factors outside their control?