Breaking from scientific and ethical norms, the Chinese researcher claimed he created the world’s first genetically edited babies. In the 2005 novel Never Let Me Go, Ruth, Tommy and Kathy are watched closely by “guardians” at their boarding school, Hailsham, in the countryside of England. Hailsham is a decidedly … eerie place. Throughout the book, readers get a sense that the characters and the world they inhabit aren’t quite real. One day, a guardian reveals to the students that they’re clones, created for organ donations. After their donations, the children’s fate is sealed: They will die. Genetic editing, the subject of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 dystopian tale, has seized the imagination — and fear — of humans for decades. Why is the idea both captivating and terrifying? Perhaps because this science always seems like it’s on the brink of being possible, but slightly out of reach. This week, it became a little more real as Chinese researcher He Jiankui claimed he used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to make the world’s first genetically edited babies. He says he altered the embryos of seven couples (the males had HIV) during in vitro fertilization (IVF). This led to one pregnancy and the birth of twin girls with pseudonyms Lulu and Nana. | 