CRISPR, short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, is a type of gene-editing that is set to make some big changes. It was discovered all the way back in 2012, and the incredible potential for the technology is really starting to shine through. In 2015 scientists managed to successfully splice together the DNA of an elephant and a wooly mammoth using the technique. It could be used in the future to help bolster endangered populations and even bring whole species back from extinction, perhaps undoing at least some of the damage inflicted on the environment by humans. It also has massive potential in the prevention and eradication of diseases such as malaria by wiping out the mosquitos that carry the disease. It could even be used to combat those dreaded superbugs by making them vulnerable to antibiotics again. This is likely to be as far as things go in 2016, as human gene editing still proves a touchy subject, sparking furious ethical debate. In theory, we could use it to eradicate inheritable diseases and perhaps even create designer babies, but we'll need to do a bit of soul searching first to figure out where we draw the line.
