On 26 November 2018, the Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui announced in a video on YouTube that twin girls, called Lulu and Nana, had been born with their DNA edited using CRISPR at the embryo stage to disable the CCR5 gene, in an attempt to make them resistant to HIV infection. It was the first reported birth of babies with edited genes that can be passed on to later generations. Scientists around the world condemned the experiment as unethical, premature and unnecessary. In December 2019 a Chinese court sentenced He to three years in prison. The case led to calls for stricter international rules on editing the human germline.
Before and after
- 29 October 2018Construction of Istanbul Airport
- 31 October 2018Statue of Unity
- from 1 November 2018 to 30 November 2018Rise of Wikipedia Asian Month 2018
- 17 November 2018Yellow vests movement
- 26 November 2018He Jiankui announces the birth of gene-edited babies
- 30 November 2018Death of George H. W. Bush
- 7 December 2018Launch of Chang'e 4
- 11 December 20182018 Strasbourg attack
- 2019Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019
More in Science & technology
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- 1976Discovery of bohrium
- 29 August 1982Discovery of meitnerium
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 21st century.