Crispr Makes It Clear: The US Needs a Biology Strategy, and Fast

Biology has emerged as one of the most important technology platforms of the 21st century. With the arrival of the gene-editing technology Crispr, biology will soon converge with everyday medicine, big agriculture, and artificial intelligence to influence the future of all life on our planet. Crispr, which allows scientists to edit precise positions on DNA using a bacterial enzyme, is already transforming cancer treatment, preventing the spread of disease, and solving global famine. Its trajectory necessarily involves government agencies and commissions, our elected officials, and the courts--and none of them are prepared for what's coming. Amy Webb (@amywebb) is the author of The Signals Are Talking: Why Today's Fringe Is Tomorrow's Mainstream and is the chief executive of the Future Today Institute, a strategic foresight and research group in Washington, DC.