More CRISPR Scandal News: Could the Babies Have Modified Intelligence? Did the Government Fund the Research?

More news has come from China about the two babies born following He Jiankui’s experiment using CRISPR to make the children resistant to HIV while they were still embryos. Now, there is some evidence to suggest that the two infants could develop genetically-enhanced brains. According to reports, the technique used to protect the children from developing HIV, a disorder their father has, will also allow them to become more intelligent than their peers. According to a report in the U.K.’s Express, Alcino J. Silva, a neurobiologist at the University of California, said that the experiment will likely affect the brains of the children. Citing an interview Silva gave MIT Technology Review last week, the Express reported that the CRISPR process will likely have an impact on the cognitive function of the children. Silva was quick to note that her prediction was purely speculative and based on evidence from mouse models that showed the same technique used on the twins made the mice who were subjected to the treatment became more intelligent than their peers. “The work on mice demonstrates the answer may be yes – but mice are not people. We simply don't know what the consequences will be in mucking around with humans. We are not ready for it yet,” Silva said in the interview with the MIT publication, according to the Express.