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From CRISPR Babies to Super Soldiers: Challenges and Security Threats Posed by CRISPR  (Sonia Ben Ouaghram-Gormley, Nonproliferation Review)
The gene-editing technique CRISPR—clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats—is often depicted as a security threat because it could theoretically allow scientists or amateurs to edit the genome of a variety of organisms and potentially cause harm to humans, plants, and animals. The recent use of CRISPR by Chinese scientist He Jiankui to edit the genome of viable embryos, which resulted in the birth of twin girls, has exacerbated those fears. This article reviews the timeline of the CRISPR-babies experiment, highlights the challenges that contributed to the experiment’s failure, and evaluates the risks of CRISPR’s use for malevolent purposes. It concludes that although the potential for abuse is great, the technical obstacles are still too significant to allow successful modification that would threaten security.

Surveillance of Laboratory Exposures to Human Pathogens and Toxins, Canada 2020  (Government of Canada)
Forty-two incidents involving 57 individuals were reported to Laboratory Incident Notification Canada in 2020. There were no suspected or confirmed laboratory acquired infections. The annual incident exposure rate was 4.2 incidents per 100 active licenses. Most exposure incidents occurred during microbiology activities (n=22, 52.4%) and/or were reported by the hospital sector (n=19, 45.2%). Procedural issues (n=16, 27.1%) and sharps-related incidents (n=13, 22.0%) were the most common occurrences. Most affected individuals were exposed via inhalation (n=28, 49.1%) and worked as technicians or technologists (n=36, 63.2%). Issues with standard operating procedures was the most common root cause (n=24, 27.0%), followed by human interactions (n=21, 23.6%). The median number of days between the incident and the reporting date was six days.

Scarred By Mass Shooting, Britain to Check Social Media, Medical Records of Gun License Applicants  (Rachel Pannett, Washington Post)
Britain’s first mass shooting in more than a decade occurred in August. Just over two months later, London is requiring British police to check medical records and in some cases delve into applicants’ social media history before issuing gun licenses. Jake Davison killed five people including his mother and a 3-year-old girl in a shooting rampage in the southwestern seaside city of Plymouth in August, before taking his own life. (Cont.)