By Kaitlyn Schaeffer
Once upon a time, children could be conceived in only one way. But advances in medical technology have resulted in a number of ways for children to be born; one such method is via surrogacy. Surrogacy has provided a way for single parents or couples who are for some reason unable to conceive to have children. In cases where a surrogate bears a child for others, she is …

By Farzana Paleker
Following an International Summit on Human Gene Editing in Washington D.C. earlier this month, scientists in the U.S. are now allowed to experiment on human genes – as long as it does not result in a pregnancy. The summit was organized after scientists in China successfully used CRISPR, a DNA editing tool, to genetically modify human embryos. The embryos were destroyed after the scientists performed germline (inheritable) modifications, …

By Ellen Arkfeld
The days of human genome editing are rapidly approaching with the development of the editing tool CRISPR.  CRISPR grants scientists unprecedented precision and ease in editing the genome.  Unlike previous genetic engineering technologies, CRISPR is highly accurate and allows DNA editing without causing adverse side effects.
One application of CRISPR involves the manipulation of human embryos for therapeutic purposes. Genes can be edited to test cures diseases, such as cancer and Parkinson’s disease. CRISPR …