This TED Talk features biomedical scientist and writer Paul Knopfler, recorded live at TEDx, Vienna, 2015.

So what if I could make for you a designer baby?

What if you as a parent to be,

and I as a scientist decided to go down that road together?

What if we didn't?

What if we thought, you know, we thought that's a bad idea?

But many of our family, friends,

and coworkers did make that decision.

Let's fast forward just 15 years from now.

Let's pretend it's the year 2030, and you're a parent.

You have your daughter, Marion, next to you.

And in 2030, she is what we call a natural because she has no genetic modifications. And because you and your partner

consciously made that decision, many in your social circle, they kind of look down on you. They

think you're like a Luddite or a technophobe.

Marion's best friend Jenna, who lives right next door, is a very different story. She was born a

genetically modified designer baby with numerous upgrades. Yeah, upgrades.

And these enhancements were introduced

using a new genetic modification technology

that goes by the funny name CRISPR.

You know, like something's crisp.

This is CRISPR.

The scientists that Jenna's parents hired to do this for several million dollars

...