PhD Student Olivier Belli joins me from Switzerland to talk about genetics and gene editing. We talk about the human genome, epigenetics, and CRISPR technology! (0:00:35) A little background.  (0:01:32) What is Molecular Biology? (0:02:20) Gene editing and the academic path.  (0:03:30) The Human Genome: Where we are.  (0:04:33) The Human Genome: What is it? (0:05:36) Epigenetics. (0:08:10) Genetics: A young field. (0:09:00) Classical genetics of the past vs the present approach. (0:10:23) 23 and me: Genetics and our environment. (0:13:11) The evolution of essential genes and their effects. (0:14:59) Sickle cell disease and genetics. (0:19:20) Correcting a mutation: Hemoglobin and genetics. (0:20:30) What is CRISPR? (0:23:17) CRISPR: Not a scary thing, just an easier one. (0:25:05) The side effects of genetic modification: A work in progress.  (0:26:00) Genetic Modification: A centuries old practice in agriculture. (0:28:16) Cloning.  (0:29:20) CRISPR and DNA breaks. (0:31:46) Technology development in CRISPR: The study of disease mechanisms.  (0:33:43) The study and work with the SARS-CoV-2 Virus. (0:34:35) How viruses can infect and hijack our cells. (0:36:35) The next five years: What's coming next? (0:38:50) Ethical boundaries: Where do you draw the line? (0:40:00) Embryo editing and eugenics: A Pandora's box. (0:41:20) Science communication: Why it's so important. (0:44:10) Politicizing science: Taking a stand in the public debate. (0:45:30) Academics vs non-academics: The disconnect and how to solve it.  (0:48:06) Music, Monoatomic God and playing the bass.  (0:49:36) Science fiction and CRISPR. (0:50:57) Alien DNA. (0:52:13) Biology: Still so much to discover. (0:53:32) Future plans. Follow Olivier on Twitter: https://twitter.com/olivier_belli Visit Planet B612 on the web: http://planetb612.fm/ Follow Planet B612 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlanetB612fm Support Planet B612 on Patreon: https://patreon.com/juliesworld