Conversations in Science with Dan Rather and Jennifer Doudna: The Discovery of a Gene Editing Technology

Talk Overview

In the last few years, the term CRISPR has exploded on the global scene, and with it UC Berkeley professor Jennifer Doudna, one of the pioneers in the field, has emerged into the spotlight. From magazine covers, to news broadcasts, to social media, CRISPR is the rare scientific breakthrough that has captivated the interest of the general public. But what is CRISPR really? What are its implications now and into the future? What profound ethical questions are raised by this ability to so precisely and easily edit the genome? In a candid and far-ranging conversation with Dan Rather, Doudna leads viewers through a nuanced and captivating view of this new technology. And along the way she shares her own improbable journey into science and her lessons for others – especially young women – who want to follow in her footsteps.

Funding for this interview was provided by the Lasker Foundation.

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Speaker Bio

Jennifer Doudna

Jennifer Doudna is a Professor of the Departments of Chemistry and of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Early in her career, she studied the structure and mechanism of ribozymes (enzymatic RNA molecules) and RNA-protein complexes. Now her research focuses on understanding… Continue Reading

Daniel Rather

Dan Rather has a resume that reads like a history book. He has interviewed every American president since Eisenhower and personally covered almost every important global dateline of the last 60 years, from the Civil Rights Movement to Vietnam, to Watergate to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Rather helped pioneer the very idea that television… Continue Reading