Editing DNA to treat hereditary diseases can rob humanity of geniuses. This was stated by biologist James Kozubek from the University of Cambridge in the UK, MailOnline reports.
The scientist believes that geneticists should be more careful when applying technologies like CRISPR. Modifying certain genes could rob the world of a new Shakespeare or Stephen Hawking, Kozubek says.
The researcher fears that altering the variants of genes (alleles) that contribute to the development of mental illness may have a negative effect, since even harmful mutations can be beneficial under certain conditions. Disorders such as depression and schizophrenia are often associated with creativity and high intelligence, he said. Thus, writers suffer from bipolar disorder ten times more often, and poets - 40 times more often than people in non-creative professions.
CRISPR is a system found in bacteria to recognize and cut foreign DNA. Researchers use it to repair genes damaged by mutations, as well as to create modified organisms.