A new biotechnical tool, the CRISPR gene scissors, is revolutionising genetic engineering. It is cheap and easy to use – any lab technician can use it to intervene in the genetic material of plants.

With CRISPR, genetic engineering is no longer the preserve of the big seed or chemical companies. With the gene scissors, residue-free, letter-precise interventions in the genetic material of microorganisms, plants, animals or humans are possible. The process is also called genome editing.

Current developments in genetic engineering are overflowing, opening up possibilities, harbouring risks – and forcing us to make decisions that could not be more fundamental. The biotechnical possibilities for manipulating life have already arrived in laboratories around the globe.