Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

'Nature' Editorial Juxtaposes FOIA Email Release With Illegal Hacking (vice.com)

Posted by msmash on from the closer-look dept.

Jason Koebler and Sarah Emerson, reporting for Motherboard: Private emails between scientists working on a controversial genetic technology called "gene drive" were released last week. Obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, their publication has been criticized by some as an attempt to discredit the science community. Gene drives are a genetic engineering approach with huge implications. They're meant to seed genetic traits -- one that stops mosquitoes from carrying malaria, for instance, or hampers invasive rodents' ability to reproduce -- in a population, and with terrifyingly high odds of inheritance. If things go wrong, gene drives could destabilize ecosystems. (So far, they've only been applied to yeast, fruit flies, and mosquitoes in a lab setting.) More ideally, they could wipe out deadly plagues by targeting their vectors, or give threatened species a fighting chance. Like any young technology, there are a lot of unknowns, and stakeholders are hoping to provide clarity at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity next year; the same convention where a proposed gene drive moratorium was rejected in 2016. The emails and other documents reveal details about gene drive's biggest funders, including DARPA, the US military's research agency.

5 of 69 comments (clear)

  1. Application of FOIA Seems Odd by Luthair · · Score: 4, Interesting

    While I understand and agree with FOIA for government and employees of government agencies, does it not seem strange to anyone else that it applies to research scientists in universities?

    1. Re:Application of FOIA Seems Odd by Gilgaron · · Score: 5, Interesting

      My understanding is that it is being used increasingly to harass researchers at public universities since it takes resources from them to respond. Pesky scientists researching the dangers of your new crabgrass spray? FOIA! Hardcore fundy looking to stick one to those evilutionists? FOIA! Of course the poor climatologists get a bunch, sometimes even from GOPs in congress.

  2. Re:Hey, Look at the bright side. by Gilgaron · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It'd have to target a genotype. Not useful for fighting crime, although perhaps some sort of awful genocide.

  3. Re:Hey, Look at the bright side. by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The Pinky and the Brain who have their hands on this technology would not care.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  4. Yes, the war on science continues by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Because science seeks reality, and reality is the number one ennemy of those who seek to control us.

    Looks like scientists are going to have to resort to end-to-end encryption in their communications in order to be able to work in peace.