Life 2.0-A CRISPR path to a sustainable planet.

“Life 2.0” may sound like hyperbole—suggesting a radical change in modes of existence—but that was the title of a Colloquium held at the Beckman Center in Irvine, California, in December 2019. The subtitle, “The Promise and Challenge of a CRISPR Path to a Sustainable Planet,” was both more modest and a more apt description of the proceedings. Sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences and organized by us with Fyodor Urnov, the event drew speakers from numerous disciplines who offered visions of the near and more distant future of life on Earth. Several papers based on Colloquium presentations are included in this issue of PNAS. In the keynote address, “A view from the edge,” D.C. reviewed the context and history of genome editing and set the stage for projecting into the future. In the first session, titled “The translational promise of CRISPR and the urgency of the challenge,” Michele Calos highlighted the need for precise, affordable human therapies that go beyond “classical” gene therapy. Jonathan Weissman described a powerful, CRISPR-based approach to tracking metastatic lung cancer cells. B.J.M. showed how studies in model organisms can provide insights into human biology and disease, sometimes through surprising connections. Peter Hotez prophetically envisioned the arrival of a new epidemic, including the political, social, and physical challenges in delivering vaccines. Pamela C. Ronald addressed the particularly urgent need for genetic modifications in crops to help ameliorate the impact of climate change and the threats to world food supplies, as described in … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: dana{at}biochem.utah.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1