A researcher operates a microscope in Suzhou, Jiangsu province on Dec 26, 2018. [Photo/IC] The news back in November that Chinese scientist He Jiankui had illegally edited the genomes of twin girls led to international uproar. Both in China and the wider world, experts condemned the announcement, calling it a worrying assault on the ethical fabric of society. The twin girls, which He claimed are now HIV-resistant, were involuntary subjects in an experiment in the most volatile interpretation of the word. The twin girls, nicknamed Lulu and Nana, were effectively used as guinea pigs for a very primitive and unproven form of gene editing. China denounced the experiment and proposed stricter new gene-editing laws, which were outlined in late February. This new legislation will act as a welcome safety belt for the genetics industry, which,while still in its infancy, is progressing around the world at a startling pace. Gene editing is still at a hit and miss stage, and refinement is needed. The DNA editing tool CRISPR, which was only invented in 2012, is still associated with the possibility of unintentional and accidental mutations. These could easily cause problems in later life, with especially high chances of cancer potentially developing. The worry is that a lack of regulation in this field could both lead to an epidemic of socially and ethically disruptive designer babies, and also widespread healthcare disasters internationally. China's new legislation is not taking any chances. To help prevent such risks, the proposed rules require all life science clinical trials (gene editing or not), to be classified as high or low risk, with explicit government permission mandatory before even the first step in the lab is taken. Any researchers and institutions, including hospitals, which violate this will be subject to a strict lifetime ban from research work and criminal investigations. Given that this area of science is touching on playing god, such deterrents will come as welcome relief to both ethical think tanks and human rights watch dogs around the world. These regulations, however, will prove to be a bit of a double-edged sword. Keh Kooi Kee, a researcher at Tsinghua University, told the Associated Press that, since the He Jiankui incident, researchers such as himself have faced additional difficulty in getting research approved. Instead, a huge mountain of paperwork and red tape will now slow the process down. However, the seriousness of the issue warrants such caution. A dystopian future, in which people can alter the most personal and deterministic things in others at the snap of a finger, should be treated with caution at the highest level.The ease with which such power could fall into the wrong hands cannot be understated. Way back in 2017, fears were raised that the DNA editing tool CRISPR was accessible and easy. Mail order CRISPR kits cost just $130, and can be used to hack the DNA of bacteria to produce potentially dangerous mutants. Users of the kit do not need a PhD to make it work, they only need to be able to follow a basic set of instructions and use plastic tubes and pipettes. Granted, modifying bacteria is not the same thing as editing a human, but the basic principle remains the same and we share the same DNA templates. After Nana and Lulu, we cannot stay in denial and must admit the intention to push boundaries extra-judicially does exist. The Chinese authorities have reacted fast to this incident with proposed legislation that might ordinarily have taken years to draft. It is a welcome example of the kind of action the rest of the world should also take. crossfit silicone wristbandsanimal shaped bracelets rubbersilicone bandsbracelet montre silicone 14mmcustom wristbands
Britain has crafted a new plan to improve the quality of its exports of waste paper to China in response to recent Chinese bans.The new quality-control initiative was developed by the UK Recycling Association and the Chinese Certification and Inspection Group in London.The plan involves inspections at depots to ensure that scrap paper destined for China meets specifications. Because British depots already have existing quality control systems in place, the new plan is optional for UK companies. But companies may choose the additional scrutiny to be certain of avoiding delays and related costs.Britain used to export millions of metric tons of waste each year to China before the Chinese government stopped accepting imports of certain types of scrap in January on environmental grounds.Under its new regulations, China banned certain kinds of waste plastic and paper, and also reduced the threshold for contaminants in shipments of recycled material.At the end of this month five regional seminars will be held for British exporters, delineating which types of scrap paper will be accepted.UK material has seen a huge improvement to meet the quality standards set by the Chinese government, said Huang Shouyun, London managing director of China Certification and Inspection Group, the agency accredited by the Chinese government to inspect material for export bound for the country.This new quality control plan will meet the Chinese inspection requirements while maintaining high-quality fiber exports to China, he said.Simon Ellin, CEO of the recycling association, said: The partnership with CCIC London to develop this quality-control system is proving the UK commitment to high-quality fiber exports. This system will prove to be beneficial to exporters in ensuring their material meets the rules of the export destination.The UK exports around half of the 5 million tons of scrap paper and cardboard it collects each year, and China is the main recipient. Before the Chinese ban on certain types of mixed paper imports, Britain exported 1.4 million tons of paper and cardboard to China each year.Between 2012 and 2017, Britain exported 2.7 million tons of plastic to China, according to estimates from Greenpeace. Since the ban, British exports of scrap plastic to China have fallen by 98.3 percent, according to UK government data.
