During meetings last week at the UN in Geneva, member state representatives heard from experts about how rapid advances in gene editing and “DIY [do-it-yourself] biological laboratories” could be used by extremists to produce weapons for attacks on civilians. According to the discussions, the groundbreaking gene-editing technique “CRISPR” could be used for malevolent purposes, such as to develop more effective biological weapons. And adding to the concerns about growing numbers of DIY labs that could be leveraged by terrorist groups, the attendees discussed the erosion of norms among states on chemical weapons. Although the likelihood of a biological attack is not currently believed to be high, experts warned that such an event could be extremely deadly and far-reaching. “At worst, you could be talking of epidemics on the scale of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, or even a global pandemic that could result in millions of deaths,” said Daniel Freakes, head of the Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit at the UN in Geneva. Modern Diplomacy.