Gene editing is the biggest technical advance in bioscience since the discovery of “recombinant DNA” technology — artificially mixing genetic material — in 1973. That launched the era of genetic engineering and led to the commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) crops in the 1990s. Now gene editing (GE) is for the first time giving researchers a fast, reliable way to make precise changes in specific genes. But its use in farming is in the balance after a European ruling last year equated it with heavily regulated GM.
自1973年发现了人工混合遗传物质的“重组DNA”(recombinant DNA)技术以来，基因编辑是生物科学界最大的技术进步。重组DNA开启了遗传工程时代，并带来了1990年代转基因作物的商业化。如今，基因编辑技术让研究者们头一次可以迅速可靠地对特定基因作出准确改变。但继去年一项欧盟裁决将它等同于被严格监管的转基因技术后，基因编辑在农业上的应用如今悬而未决。
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