Societal Debates About Emerging Genetic Technologies: Toward a Science of Public Engagement

Gene editing is an inherently wicked problem with no single right answer and no group uniquely positioned to decide this answer. We discuss the intricacies of the debates surrounding both plant and human applications of gene editing. Specifically, we demonstrate how one technology has developed into two separate context-driven debates within the scientific community with seemingly contradictory perspectives of ideal outcomes. Resolving these debates will require a culture of civic science that focuses on early and ongoing engagement with different publics that is not just done on science’s terms. We provide recommendations for how both bench and social scientists should approach these issues moving forward. We also give a brief review of the research and commentaries included in this special issue of Environmental Communication on gene editing.