Human Nature

Even if you are not familiar with science and biology, Human Nature does an excellent job at explaining how gene editing and everything work. From the origins of the method to its application, they try to be as neutral as possible, weighing the pros and cons. Every person interviewed is asked about the potential benefits but also dangers of this new method.

"...weather we like it or not - we are living in a time of transition. After two billion years this is, in a sense, the end of the beginning." Robert Sinsheimer, Biologist, CalTech 26th June 1966

From a basic understanding the DNA structure and the mapping of its fingerprints - to the beginning of understanding what various parts do - has been an ongoing journey. A journey that, until this decade, fell short of our ability to "precisely manipulate"

Now the first DNA tools are in the toolbox. We are gaining the ability to "cut and paste" DNA. Not only in our surroundings - but in are very own beings, not only in all life forms but in all offspring.

This capability has "blasted" into the world with such velocity - question is; are we prepared for it's effects - the bad as well as good. The consequences of editing DNA raise philosophical questions of epic proportions.

To a large extent Human Nature attempts to explain; the principles of CRISPR, it's possible implementations and the ethical considerations - in parallel. This approach may be useful for keeping the audience hooked but, arguably, the end result would have benefited from a "chapter approach". It also leaves the impression that the topics aren't done to perfection.

This is not necessarily a good documentary - in the sense well made. The story itself is, however, so mind blowing and important that it gets a bonus with regards to rating - purely on the importance of the information conveyed.

It is a must see - more on the merit of what it is saying, than how it is saying it. We have unleashed enormous powers - knowledge and debate are required to temper them. The sooner more of us grasp the concept of CRISPR and Cas9 - the sooner can we influence; how and in which direction we want it to go.

The alarm bell just went off, it's a fire alarm - hitting the snooze button won't work.

Balance is a word we take for granted. It is as hard to achieve in film as it is easy to grasp conceptually. This is a balanced film.

It is also beautifully shot, scored, edited... I am looking forward to the directors 2nd piece!?

Personally, I have been hosting the intuition that there is a non-benign (read, potentially fatal) shortage of sagacity in our species. This is most evident in our relationship with technology. So throughout the film I was waiting, pleading for someone to say a thing. And when the youth with sickle cell, a few moments before the curtain, says it, my heart leaped at him. We suffer for a reason.

Ask the right question. Do we want to stop suffering?

Good points all around this issue of whether we could or should, but in all reality it's coming either way and there is nothing we can do about it. Humankinds hubris is unparalleled as a species on this planet and it has led us to both achieving some our most wildly fantastic dreams and depth defying hellish nightmares. Technology will change us forever. We are seeing that played out right before our eyes in 2020. The question is - what defines perfection when we finally reach the moment of our singularity? Will we even slow down enough to even ponder that question? Nature is a magical formula that over the course of billions of years has gotten us this far. The balance in it is for a reason, and if we tend to disagree with that and opt to change it the unintended consequences may take us in directions that dissolves the true human experience. That being said the true wisdom from this documentary came from the little boy with sickle cell. He made it clear he would not have wanted to be shorted on his true human experience as the roll of natures dice made him who he is. I was blown away by his self awareness and his bravery in light of his condition. After a few hundred years will we look back at this and marvel at what it once meant to live and be apart of the true human experience locked in with the beautiful magical power of billions of years of nature? Maybe. Maybe not. I guess if once you could fly and then you couldn't and so much time had passed that you completely lost the feeling of what it felt like to fly. Would it even matter? Difficult questions.

I thought (given the way this documentary is described) that I'd be watching an explanation of how CRISPR works. But this is not a documentary about CRISPR, it's a documentary about attitudes towards CRISPR.

If you're into that sort of thing, and into the sort of weepy human interest BS that occupies 90% of the Olympics or American Idol, go ahead and enjoy. But if your goal is to learn some actual science at something beyond a third grade level, this is not the documentary you want.