Image courtesy of Audubon.org. Illustration by Eric Nyquist.

A new story in Audubon Magazine, How Genetically Modified Mice Could One Day Save Island Birds, features quotes from GES Co-Directors Dr. Fred Gould and Dr. Jennifer Kuzma.

The article tells the story of how Dr. John Godwin, Professor of Biological Sciences, and Ph.D. student Megan Serr became part of GBIRd (Genetic Biocontrol of Invasive Rodents), a global partnership working to save island birds from extinction by using the cutting-edge (and controversial) CRISPR and gene drive technologies to eradicate invasive species of mice.

“You’re a crazy man,” Gould recalls thinking, recognizing the backlash Campbell might experience. “And it takes a crazy man to do this.”

Dr. Kuzma discusses the ethical challenges faced by GBIRd, saying, “We don’t want the public engagement and the ethics to just be window dressing.”