CBS NEWS, By MARY BROPHY MARCUS, December 17, 2015, 2:04 PM
Science magazine has unveiled its 2015 “Breakthrough of the Year” and the winner is a gene-editing technology that experts say will change life as we know it — potentially revolutionizing medicine, basic science, and agriculture.
The gene-editing tool called CRISPR — derived from a bacterial protein — lets scientists cut and paste specific portions of DNA, offering a path to new treatments or cures for genetic diseases.
Science managing news editor John Travis said while the technique was first developed in 2012, CRISPR came into its own this year and has begun to transform science and spark public debate, making it the most outstanding scientific development of 2015.
