Insects account for as many as two-thirds of all creatures on Earth. Most of them have wings, but we do not actually know where the evolutionary origins of those wings lie. This debate got underway as early as the latter half of the 19th century, when On the Origin of Species was published, but to this day, the puzzle has never been solved. However, research using genome editing means that we might finally see the day when the answer to this conundrum is revealed.

The potato (Solanum tuberosum) contains toxins called solanine and chaconine in its sprouts and in its skin, once it turns green. Accordingly, producers and distributors are faced with a heavy burden, due to the rigorous management required after harvesting, keeping them in a cool, dark place and preventing them from sprouting. However, the essential gene encoding an enzyme which produces these toxins have been discovered in recent years and toxin production has been successfully curbed by using genome editing to disrupt the gene. The goal for the time being is to use genome editing to deliver safe potatoes to people's dining tables.

Among the many diseases caused by gene mutations, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an intractable disease associated with severe outcomes. The patient’s body is unable to synthesize a protein called dystrophin, which leads to the loss of muscle tissue. With few options available to cure the disease, hopes are currently pinned on a combination of genome editing to correct the causative gene mutation, therapy to restore normal protein synthesis, and transplantions of cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells).

Genome editing is a technology that involves modifying DNA by cutting base sequences and joining them to other sequences. Genetic modification is a form of genome editing. More advanced methods are now emerging and are being commercialized in a variety of fields, including medical care and energy, not to mention foods. At the same time, precisely because the modification of genes has a direct impact on life, cautious discussion of safety and bioethics involving a broad swath of society is of paramount importance.