The ‘unbelievable journey’ of CRISPR, now on Netflix
Mankind’s ability to edit the fabric of human life has led to scientific upheaval, global debate, and at least one international incident. Now, it’s coming to Netflix.
“Unnatural Selection,” a four-part docuseries debuting Friday, dissects the stories, science, and ethics behind genome editing, following academics, biohackers, and patients as they move through a brave new world made possible by technologies like CRISPR.
We recently spoke with co-directors Joe Egender and Leeor Kaufman about how the series came to be and how it frames the sprawling story of human genetic engineering. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
So what is the show about and what can viewers expect if they watch it?
Kaufman: I think the show is about this new world in which we can alter DNA in any organism, including humans. We’ve entered this world gradually and over the past decades, but significantly with the discovery of CRISPR.
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: When we first jumped into this project, one thing we really wanted to do was not make a show about science, but make a show about the people either researching and doing the science, people benefiting from the science, people fighting against the science, and really tell the story of these incredible new technologies through the people, through their experiences, through their eyes, rather
