Well Then?

Abstract

We are now at the end of a journey through the world of genes and genomes. Perhaps it was a bit like swimming in the sea: We dived sometimes more and sometimes less deeply into the ocean of knowledge. Whether we ever saw the bottom—certainly not. As a biologist, of course, I find the biological sciences endlessly fascinating. Almost everything I have written about has existed and worked for billions of years. The CRISPR/Cas system is probably similarly old [1]. And yet, to have discovered it and made it applicable as a scientific tool is an achievement. Much like our ancestors created tools—and weapons—from stones billions of years old. Gene and genome editing will help us to understand the biology and genetics of living things even better. But the digged up new knowledge also presents us with new questions. It is an eternal cycle. Answers raise new questions, leading to new answers, and so on. Presumably the cycle is not a cyclone with a calm centre, but rather resembles a galaxy drifting apart. That is what we have to deal with. I imagine you encountered two feelings while reading this: Astonishment and fright.