The Rise of 'Designer Babies'
A controversial new service from a US-based start-up clinic is pushing the boundaries of reproductive medicine. The company offers prospective parents the chance to go beyond standard screenings for hereditary diseases and select preferred genetic traits like height and intelligence for their future children, a process it terms 'genetic optimisation'.
Scientific and Ethical Scrutiny
The announcement, discussed on the Sky News Daily podcast on Thursday 27 November 2025, has been met with significant backlash. Critics from the scientific community and beyond are raising profound ethical questions about the service. Furthermore, experts in human genetics are openly questioning the validity and reliability of the science that the company's claims are based upon.
Industry Reaction and Public Concern
Niall from Sky News spoke with the network's own science and technology editor, Tom Clarke, to delve into the specific concerns surrounding this development. The conversation, produced by Tom Gillespie and edited by Wendy Parker, highlights the growing unease about the commercialisation of advanced genetic technologies and the potential societal implications of allowing parents to customise their offspring.
