Walter Isaacson on Jennifer Doudna

Walter Isaacson—the acclaimed biographer of Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin—turns his pen to another transformative figure: Jennifer Doudna, the Nobel Prize-winning creator of the gene editing technology CRISPR. Code Breaker explores the medical miracles Doudna’s scientific discoveries have made possible and the moral questions they pose. Isaacson is joined at CHF by WBEZ’s Chief Content Officer Steve Edwards to discuss Doudna’s inspiring career, gene editing, and how new inventions affect the future of humanity.

This annual lecture recognizes the significant contributions to the Chicago Humanities Festival made by its founder and chairman emeritus Richard J. Franke and is presented in partnership with WBEZ.

Order the book The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race online at Seminary Co-op: https://www.semcoop.com/code-breaker

Donate now to support programs like this: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/don...

View captions powered by StreamText: https://www.streamtext.net/player?eve...

Explore upcoming events: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/
Connect on Twitter:   / chihumanities  
Connect on Facebook:   / chicagohumanities  
Connect on Instagram:   / chihumanities  

0:00 Introduction
4:00 RNA and the Coronavirus Vaccines
7:00 Behind the Scenes of Vaccine Development
11:00 Cooperation and Competition to Fuel Scientific Discovery
17:00 Narrative Journeys of Discovery
19:00 The Third Great Revolution of the Modern Era
25:00 The Basic Science of Bacteria
27:00 Two Big Ethical Lines Posed by Gene Editing
37:00 How to Prevent Bad Actors
39:00 Audience Questions