The Rock’s “Rampage” has a Rather Fresh (Read: Mindless) Take on CRISPR

The Rock’s “Rampage” has a Rather Fresh (Read: Mindless) Take on CRISPR

Just another Hollywood science blunder, and perhaps the first attempt (in a long list yet to make it to screen) in Hollywood to misconstrue a scientific marvel for mindless entertainment. This is a must-see for fans of B-grade science fiction. The critics score at Rotten Tomatoes is 50%, but 78% of the audience loved it. Oh comon people, haven’t you made enough bad choices already (with Trump, say?).

From the mind-bending physics of “Interstellar,” to attempts at alien communication in “arrival”: Hollywood movies are filling up screens with the latest scientific discoveries and theories; but “Rampage” fits nowhere- its utter stupid.

Okay really- there’s fact, there’s fiction, then comes six feet of crap.. under which you’re gonna find “Rampage”.  For Pete’s sake it’s a movie that revolves around CRISPR technology-made evil animals with Dwayne Johnson once again flexing his pecs in the cause of popcorn distraction, falling into that watchable genre we might call the Big Dumb Movie.

Released this month, it’s a movie that tells the story of how a pair of “evil” siblings used CRISPR to create a genetic weapon that could turn any animal into

a more aggressive, faster and stronger with new abilities version of itself. That’s right, George, Ralph, and Lizzie are all present from the game and will cause the titular rampage in the film.

Even though the movie stays true to what CRISPR does, it enhanced some of CRISPR’s abilities. The truth is that scientists have not reached the point of CRISPR development where it could introduce new genes from one species to another species. In fact, CRISPR is solely for editing genes and could only edit one gene at a time, until this year.

It appears that with this improvement, CRISPR will permit scientists to easily find the modifications in genes susceptible to cause disease. Therefore, CRISPR might really be able to cure all diseases even in animals. While watching RAMPAGE, however, one would wonder whether the new CRISPR could eventually patch genes from multiple unrelated species.

By the end of the film, Lizzie the alligator is 50” tall and four football fields long. Her alligator DNA blended with a host of other DNA such as the Pufferfish for poisonous spines on her tail, Chameleon for their gripping fingers, Sharks for their multiple rows of teeth, and other Fish for the ability to sail through the water with ease and to breath through gils.

Ralph manages to get even wilder by also having Shark DNA for his teeth, plus enhancements from Owls for his eyes, Cheetahs for the build of his body, Porcupines for their spikes, and Fox Bats for their ears and built in wings under his front legs. George, on the other hand, doesn’t get any special enhancements other than being a giant gorilla. He is slightly different from his video game counterpart by being an albino gorilla instead of a traditional looking one, and he’s secretly best friends with Dwayne Johnson.

Right now the technology is nowhere near the level the movie portrays. The closest thing to a Rampage-style situation in real life would be if CRISPR technology were used to alter DNA in such a way that any changes would pass on to offspring, what in DNA research is called a “gene drive” technique that rapidly spreads the change throughout a population. While CRISPR would indeed affect the individual creature whose DNA is being tweaked, the current technology would take generations to see a larger effect.

There are plenty of ethical concerns surrounding DNA altering, and a number of articles have voiced concern about creating super-humans or “designer babies.” However, the potential benefits of CRISPR research, including engineering foods that would support the world’s increasing population using less energy and resources, would make a total ban as bad as complete deregulation in many people’s eyes.

And despite the film’s claims, CRISPR hasn’t been banned by the U.S. government. In fact, the National Academics reports that at a 2015 International Summit on Human Gene Editing, it was agreed by all participating countries to allow and continue research under legal and ethical guidelines, and created an international forum to determine what those guidelines will be.