The code breaker: Jennifer Doudna, gene editing, and the future of the human race

Introduction. Into the breach

Part one. The origins of life. Hilo ; The gene ; DNA ; The education of a biochemist ; The human genome ; RNA ; Twists and folds ; Berkeley

Part two. CRISPR. Clustered repeats ; The Free Speech Movement Café ; Jumping in ; The yogurt makers ; Genentech ; The lab ; Caribou ; Emmanuelle Charpentier ; CRISPR-Cas9 ; Science, 2012 ; Dueling presentations

Part three. Gene editing. A human tool ; The race ; Feng Zhang ; George Church ; Zhang tackles CRISPR ; Doudna joins the race ; Photo finish ; Doudna's final sprint ; Forming companies ; Mon amie ; The heroes of CRISPR ; Patents

Part four. CRISPR in action. Therapies ; Biohacking ; DARPA and anti-CRISPR

Part five. Public scientist. Rules of the road ; Doudna steps in

Part six. CRISPR babies. He Jiankui ; The Hong Kong summit ; Acceptance

Part seven. The moral questions. Red lines ; Thought experiments ; Who should decide? ; Doudna's ethical journey

Part eight. Dispatches from the front. Quebec ; I learn to edit ; Watson revisited ; Doudna pays a visit

Part nine. Coronavirus. Call to arms ; Testing ; The Berkeley lab ; Mammoth and Sherlock ; Coronavirus tests ; Vaccines ; CRISPR cures ; Cold Spring Harbor virtual ; The Nobel Prize

Epilogue.