The last couple of years have seen a profound rise in excitement about the many possible uses of gene drive systems (GDSs)—and of the possible drawbacks of this technology. Much of the focus has been on bioethical and biomedical questions about their implementation. On the plus side, a GDS could be used to suppress populations of disease vectors and invasive species. On the negative side, escape of a GDS into a beneficial species could spell its doom. So, how foolproof are they? That’s the question Champer and colleagues set out to answer in this issue of PLOS Genetics.
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