The development of so-called “gene drive” technology promises to revolutionise medicine and agriculture because it can in theory stop the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses, such as malaria and yellow fever, as well as eliminate crop pests and invasive species such as rats and cane toads. In last week's Science a group of 27 leading geneticists call on the scientific community to be open and transparent about both the risks and benefits of gene drives.

The US National Academy of Sciences has initiated a review of the controversial gene drive technology.

Sources: Independent, 6 August 2015, Science, 17 july 2015, International Business Times, 4 August 2015.

Photo by JJ Harrison on Wikipedia.