There is an extreme shortage of organs for people who need donations and scientists are challenged with finding a solution. Using pigs, genome editing may help us create more organs suitable for human transplant. This lesson examines the scientific as well as ethical and social considerations of applying new genetic techniques to this situation.

In the past decade, scientists have developed new tools for editing the DNA of living organisms, and these tools can be applied to all living organisms including the food supply. In this case study we look at the cassava plant, an important food source for 800 million people worldwide, that some feel is a candidate for genetic modification. Taking on multiple perspectives on this question is the heart of the work students are asked to do in this lesson.