Short Wave

Should we reengineer the world's deadliest animal?

May 27, 2026·11 min·4-min readnarrativescience
Podzilla Summary (4 min)
TLDR
The episode explores the potential and peril of using CRISPR-based gene drives to eradicate malaria-carrying mosquitoes, highlighting the tension between saving millions of lives and risking irreversible ecological consequences. The technology exists, but the ethical, ecological, and gove

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Guest

B

Ben Bradford

narrative on Short Wave

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Ben BradfordKevin Esvelt

Books

Are We Doomed?by Ben Bradford

Companies

MIT Media Lab

Products & Tools

CRISPR

Topics

Artificial IntelligenceClimate ChangeEthicsInvestigative JournalismLong Form JournalismScientific Method

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