--- title: CRISPR: How Cas9 Genome Editing Works description: One of the most exciting breakthroughs in science is here. CRISPR is a new technology that can edit DNA with remarkable precision canonical: https://time.com/4377130/crispr-genome-editing/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-23T10:38:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-30T12:09:12.724Z article:section: Health og:title: How Science Can Change Your Genes og:description: Behind the revolutionary new CRISPR technology og:url: https://time.com/4377130/crispr-genome-editing/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19ba03396d1cbf8a/698898fbab6d775bf56aa2c9/crispr.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: CRISPR og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Science Can Change Your Genes twitter:description: Behind the revolutionary new CRISPR technology twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19ba03396d1cbf8a/698898fbab6d775bf56aa2c9/crispr.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How the Science of CRISPR Can Change Your Genes by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/), [Lon Tweeten](https://time.com/author/lon-tweeten/) and [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) Jun 23, 2016 10:38 AM UTC  Lon Tweeten—TIME by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/), [Lon Tweeten](https://time.com/author/lon-tweeten/) and [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) Jun 23, 2016 10:38 AM UTC One of the most exciting breakthroughs in science is here. [CRISPR](http://time.com/4379503/crispr-scientists-edit-dna/) is [a new technology that can edit DNA](http://time.com/4207612/a-scientist-gets-the-green-light-to-edit-the-human-genome/) with remarkable precision, and it has the potential to change human lives forever. With the ability to easily tweak DNA, scientists could theoretically [remove genetic mutations that are responsible for incurable diseases](http://time.com/4355202/crispr-rna-gene-editing/), such as cystic fibrosis, HIV, and even certain cancers. Researchers are now beginning to test those possibilities on human cells in the lab. But CRISPR is already being used on crops, insects and more. Watch the video above to learn more about how CRISPR works, and be sure to read [TIME’s cover story](http://time.com/4379503/crispr-scientists-edit-dna/) on what the technology could mean for the future of medicine. CRISPR: How Cas9 Genome Editing Works ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4377130/crispr-genome-editing/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4377130/crispr-genome-editing/"},"headline":"How the Science of CRISPR Can Change Your Genes","datePublished":"2016-06-23T10:38:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-30T12:09:12.724Z","description":"Behind the revolutionary new gene-editing technology","url":"https://time.com/4377130/crispr-genome-editing/","keywords":["Genetics","crispr"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19ba03396d1cbf8a/698898fbab6d775bf56aa2c9/crispr.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alice Park","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/alice-park/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Lon Tweeten","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/lon-tweeten/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19ba03396d1cbf8a/698898fbab6d775bf56aa2c9/crispr.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"CRISPR","caption":"","creditText":"Lon Tweeten—TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/genetics/","name":"Genetics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4377130/crispr-genome-editing/","name":"How the Science of CRISPR Can Change Your Genes"}}]}] ```