He Jiankui’s Comeback Trail Includes a New Wife and a Controversial X Account
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The biophysicist, infamous for creating the world’s first gene-edited babies, is attempting to rehabilitate his image with the help of Cathy Tie and a provocative social media presence.
since his release from prison in 2022, Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui has been working to rebuild his scientific career and repair his reputation after serving three years for illegally creating the world’s first gene-edited children.
One notable aspect of his attempted comeback has been his activity on X.com. Over the past few years, his account has shifted from sharing ordinary snapshots of his daily life to disseminating outrageous and antagonistic messages, leaving observers uncertain about what to take seriously.
Last month, when asked about the transformation of his account into a source of clever memes, He replied: “It’s thanks to Cathy Tie.”
Cathy Tie, a former Thiel fellow known for her involvement in a project aiming to create glow-in-the-dark pets, has recently gained attention as the new wife of He Jiankui. Read the full story.
Anthropic‘s New AI Model achieves Autonomous Task Completion for Extended Periods
“It’s thanks to Cathy tie.”
Anthropic has unveiled two new AI models,claiming they represent a significant advancement in creating truly useful AI agents.
AI agents trained on claude Opus 4, the company’s moast powerful model to date, are said to raise the bar for AI capabilities by tackling complex tasks over extended periods and responding more effectively to user instructions.
Notably, Opus 4 created a guide for the video game Pokémon Red while playing it for over 24 hours continuously. In comparison, the company’s previous model could only play for 45 minutes. Read the full story.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CRISPR-Cas9?
- CRISPR-Cas9 is a gene-editing technology that allows scientists to precisely alter DNA sequences.National Human Genome Research Institute, Broad Institute
- Why was He Jiankui imprisoned?
- he Jiankui was imprisoned for violating Chinese regulations by creating gene-edited babies. Nature, Science
- What are the ethical concerns surrounding gene editing?
- Ethical concerns include the potential for unintended consequences, the possibility of using gene editing for non-medical enhancements, and issues of equitable access. World health Organization, The Hastings Center
sources
- MIT Technology Review: Chinese scientists are creating CRISPR babies
- MIT Technology Review: Cathy Tie, He Jiankui, China, CRISPR, X Twitter feed
- MIT Technology Review: Anthropic’s new hybrid AI model can work on tasks autonomously for hours at a time
- National Human Genome Research Institute: CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing
- World Health Organization: Genome Editing
- MarketsandMarkets: Genome Editing Technologies Market
- Grand View Research: Genome Editing Market Analysis Report By Application (Cell Line Engineering, Genetic Engineering), By End-use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2024 – 2030
- Nature: Chinese scientist who gene-edited babies jailed for three years
- Science: Chinese scientist who genetically edited babies sentenced to 3 years in prison
- Broad Institute: CRISPR
- The Hastings Center: genome Editing
