Breakthrough in Precision Editing of Human Embryos (opens in new tab)

Researchers relied on a newer gene-editing technique that may make it possible to engineer embryos, a prospect that has long alarmed bioethicists. Researchers altered genes that influence levels of LDL cholesterol and hemoglobin in the blood. Credit…Claude Cortier/Science Source By Carl Zimmer Published June 4, 2026Updated June 5, 2026, 9:43 a.m. ET Scientists at Columbia University have edited the DNA of early human embryos with unprecedented accuracy, an achievement that could open the way ...