CRISPR: A Powerful Way to Change DNA

by Yolanda Ridge, Alex Boersma (Illustrator)

Overview

We can change the world with genetic modification—but should we?

CRISPR stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. If it sounds complicated, it is—but it’s also one of the most powerful ways we can shape the future. And it’s poised to completely upend the way we think about science.

Author Yolanda Ridge tackles this topic in a friendly and accessible tone, with two introductory chapters covering the basics of DNA and genetic modification before taking readers through the ways that this ground-breaking science could affect them by potentially:

- eliminating diseases like malaria and cancer,

- improving the stability of our food supply, and

- helping to manage conservation efforts for threatened animals and environments.

But all of these possible advancements come with risks, the biggest being that the consequences are unknown. Chapters end with “Stop, Go, Yield” sections encouraging readers to consider the pros and cons of using CRISPR. “Cutting Questions” give readers the opportunity to further reflect on the ethics of the science.

CRISPR is a game changer. This important book, with detailed scientific illustrations, brings much needed clarity to a topic that will affect readers for generations to come.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773214238
Publisher:	Annick Press, Limited
Publication date:	09/08/2020
Pages:	116
Sales rank:	562,225
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	1180L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

Yolanda Ridge is a children’s author with a passion for science who has previously worked as a genetics counsellor. She lives in Rossland, British Columbia.

Alex Boersma is a scientific illustrator and designer based in Chicago, Illinois.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Jumping into Genetics 3

Chapter 2 Rewriting the Genome 13

Chapter 3 Better Blood 23

Chapter 4 Mutant Mosquitoes 37

Chapter 5 Cancer Cured 51

Chapter 6 Perfect Potatoes 65

Chapter 7 Healthy Herds 79

Chapter 8 Death Defeated 89

Chapter 9 Enhanced Humans 101

Chapter 10 Facing the Future 113

Sources 118

Index 123

Further Reading and More Information 126

Editorial Reviews

A relevant, evidence-based resource for high school students and academic library collections. Ridge successfully demonstrates the necessity of an educated debate about the nuanced pros and cons of gene modification.”

From the Publisher

07/01/2020

Gr 9 Up—This nonfiction science book encourages high school students, particularly those with a keen interest in biological or biochemical studies, to form their own opinions about genetic modification. CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) can be a confusing topic to navigate. Ridge, using carefully crafted questions, asks readers to consider the pros and cons of pursuing gene editing. Chapters are divided into examples of medical, biological, and agricultural concerns, such as inherited diseases and drought-proof crops, which can be addressed with CRISPR. Each chapter closes with "Yield," "Stop," and "Go" sections to provide additional information and opportunities for critical thinking, albeit with sometimes exaggerated and singular predictions of future scenarios. These sections prompt readers to examine and contemplate the possible worldwide consequences if scientific solutions are pursued using CRISPR. Each chapter contains scientific terms, detailed diagrams, and explanations of scientific processes. Although chapters are similar to the format and content of a science textbook, they do not follow a formal, clean flow. However, readers are able to form conclusions based on historical examples of innovation and scientific thinking, an understanding of modern capabilities and circumstances, and the consideration of ethical arguments. VERDICT A relevant, evidence-based resource for high school students and academic library collections. Ridge successfully demonstrates the necessity of an educated debate about the nuanced pros and cons of gene modification.—Rachel Mulligan, Pennsylvania State Univ.

School Library Journal

2020-05-17
A provocative report on world-changing developments promised by a dawning breakthrough in biotechnology.

Ridge first goes over the ins and outs of chromosomes and genomes, then explains how certain clusters of “palindromic repeats” found in the DNA of single-celled creatures can be employed to edit with precision any cell’s genetic “instruction manual.” Though just missing the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she goes on to explore the technique’s current and potential uses and misuses. The former include creating better medicines, cures for cancer and other systemic diseases, new plant varieties, and better livestock; the latter, scrambling ecological balances, cooking up frightening bioweapons, and “Playing God” with human germlines to make designer babies. In general she comes down on the positive side (if for no other reason than that it’s too late to get the cat back into the bag) but doesn’t skimp on laying out complications and quandaries for readers to chew over in formulating their own views. She leavens the hefty informational load as best she can (“The genetic similarity between a human and a banana is 60%”), and Boersma supplies a generous array of staid but lucid diagrams, schematics, and infographics in support. Though it is marketed as a book for readers 14 and up, both graphic design and complexity of language seem to suit it better for middle schoolers.

Science literally on the cutting edge, offering prospects of wonder and terror in equal measure. (sources, resource lists, index) (Nonfiction. 12-14)

Kirkus Reviews