In dystopian visions of the future, genetic engineering often plays a part in our demise. Think Gattaca. Or the novel A Brave New World. Or Bladerunner.

But if what it’s not all so bad? What if genetic engineering could eliminate Malaria? Or allow farmers to grow healthy crops without chemicals. Thanks a new advancement in gene editing technology, CRISPR, this future may be within reach soon.

Last Friday night at Genspace’s new industrial-looking lab, I went to a talk about CRISPR. It was led by the director of a new documentary on the topic, Adam Bolt, who’s been researching the technology for the last year. Bolt praised the science and the all the scientists working on it as pioneers of a biological revolution. CRISPR allows scientists to ask new questions: which genes matter, and why?

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