Category Archives: CRISPR

CRISPR, Evolution, Gene Modification, Genome Sequencing, George Church

Dr. George Church: The Augmented Human Being

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Update: June 27, 2025

I did not realize that Dr. George Church is now 70 years old. He refuses to slow down and has been in the news a lot recently due to his being a co-founder of the company that created woolly mice. The below new 1.5 hour podcast interview with Dr. Church is gold. Thankfully, one viewer comment mentions CRISPR and a hair loss cure, so I have a better excuse for updating this post.

April 6, 2016

On very rare occasions, I write posts covering biological or medical subjects and breakthroughs that are either:

a) Groundbreaking, but entirely unrelated to a hair loss cure. Or:

b) Potentially related to a hair loss cure in the long run.

This post on Harvard geneticist Dr. George Church falls under the second category.

Dr. George Church

I have briefly discussed Dr. George Church a few times on this blog before. In my opinion, there is a good possibility that he will be known as one of the 20 greatest scientists the world has ever witnessed when all is said and done. Interestingly enough, Dr. Church got an F on one of his graduate program college courses at Duke University in 1976, and he has proudly posted that letter of rejection from Duke on his current Harvard University website.

Dr. Church was adopted as a child. In his own words, he has had “early-onset health problems (insurance companies take note): heart attack, carcinoma, narcolepsy, dyslexia, pneumonia, motion sickness.”

Several days ago, a new interview (more like a speech) of Dr. Church was posted on YouTube, and I was very impressed by the range of subjects that Dr. Church covers in this monologue. The title of this video is “The Augmented Human Being.”

Hopefully, this augmentation will imply a full head of hair for all, even though that is probably the last thing that Dr. Church is thinking of when he discusses things such as CRISPR and genetic therapy in the video.

It is quite revealing that the above video only had a little under 500 views when I embedded it in this post, despite being online for two days. In sharp contrast, the one week old gorilla enclosure video now has 13 million views. Dr. George Church could bring back that now dead gorilla back to life, just like he will the extinct woolly mammoth.

Dr. Church is currently 61 years old, but from the looks of it, I doubt that he will retire anytime soon despite his health problems. He is a vegan, dyslexic, narcoleptic workaholic. And towers at a height of 6 feet 5 inches.

During the past few months Dr. Church has been all over the news almost every single day. Some highlights:

Will all of this turn into what Huxley or Orwell predicted?

CRISPR/Cas9, CRISPR, Hair System

Lulu and Nana and Scott

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Please note that the original version of this post on CRISPR babies Lulu and Nana was written in 2018. It can be read below this update. Also see the wiki on the “He Jiankui Affair“. Our interest in CRISPR gene editing is focused on its potential use to cure hair loss.

Update: February 5, 2023 — Scientist who edited babies’ genes says he acted too quickly. And his ghost is still haunting geneticists at conferences.

Update: February 1, 2023

Dr. He Jiankui is out of Prison

Dr. He Jiankui joined Twitter a few months ago after coming out of prison. He just gave an encouraging update on Lulu and Nana that I have embedded below. I hope this is not a fake account! So far, it sounds legitimate. Mr. Jiankui wants to resume experimenting in the lab.

Also, whatever happened to Scott (see bottom half of this post)?

— Happy New Year from Jiankui’s family.

November 26, 2018

Lulu and Nana

Huge news from China, where scientists claim to have used CRISPR/Cas9 to genetically modify human babies for the first time in history. The two female babies are named Lulu and Nana. Not sure what to think about the ethics of all this as yet, but I like what Dr. Jiankui He has to say about genes not defining you:

“Our DNA does not predetermine our purpose or what we could achieve. We flourish from our own hard work, nutrition, and support from society and our loved ones. Whatever our genes may be, we are equal in dignity and potential.”

In this particular case, the volunteer fathers all have HIV and they want to make sure that their progeny do not suffer from the terrible disease of AIDS. One article on this tory is titled: Chinese scientists are creating CRISPR babies. The scientists plan is to eliminate a gene called CCR5, so as to ensure that the human offspring are then resistant to HIV (as well as smallpox and cholera).

Note that some media reports are placing doubt on the accuracy of these claims and the methodology used.

Update: Dr. George Church seems to think that this is for real:

“I have been in contact with the Shenzhen team and have seen the data. The sequencing assays used are generally unambiguous, especially when done in multiple cell types at different developmental stages and in two children. Is the genie really out of the bottle? Yes.”

First Gene Edited Babies Claimed in China

The below video (and associated story) from the He Lab’s YouTube channel has caused much global controversy.

November 24, 2018

Scott Tries a New Hair System

I was thinking of adding Scott’s latest video about his new hair system to my original lengthy post on his hair system. However, there are already three other videos on there, including a before one. So I am adding it below. I like this hair system better than the first one.