Beyond mammoths: How gene editing can be used in other fields

While de-extinction projects capture headlines with dreams of resurrecting mammoths, the same technologies at play — especially CRISPR — are quietly transforming something even more profound: human health.

The tools that might one day bring back the dodo are already being used to fight diseases, correct genetic disorders, and even rethink how we treat infection.

At the core of this revolution is precision. CRISPR does not just snip DNA randomly — it can target exact locations in the genome, making it possible to fix mutations that cause inherited diseases.

Take sickle cell anemia, for instance. It is caused by a single glitch in the DNA that affects the shape of red blood cells. Scientists are now using CRISPR to go straight to that faulty code and rewrite it. In early clinical trials, some patients showed dramatic improvement — without traditional drugs or transplants.

But it is not just rare genetic diseases that stand to benefit. Gene editing is also being explored as a weapon against viruses like HIV. By removing or disabling the virus's genetic material hidden within a patient's DNA, researchers hope to achieve what once seemed impossible: a real, lasting cure.

Cancer treatment is another frontier. Scientists are using CRISPR to reprogram a patient's immune cells so they can better recognize and destroy tumors. It is like upgrading the body's own defenses to fight smarter and harder.

And then there is the potential to prevent disease before it even starts. In the future, gene editing might allow doctors to correct harmful mutations in embryos.