Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Letter: A gene can do more than one thing

Published 2 September 2015

From Fiona Vincent

Michael Le Page writes that gene editing can make cattle hornless “without affecting any of their other traits” (15 August, p 10). Can we be sure of this?

In humans, a single gene is implicated in the illness thalassemia, so it might be considered desirable to edit it out. But the same gene also – a potentially valuable trait.
St Andrews, Fife, UK

Issue no. 3037 published 5 September 2015

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