Why Neanderthal Cloning Could Be a Huge Mistake
open a can of worms: to start doing something that causes many new and unexpected problems
More than 30,000 years after Neanderthals disappeared, one scientist says they could return. Harvard professor George Church helped start a company called Colossal Biosciences. His team became famous for using gene editing to bring back extinct animals like the dire wolf.
Church believes gene editing tools like CRISPR could one day make it possible to rebuild the Neanderthal genome. But most experts say this idea would open a can of worms. There are no clear laws against it in every country. Some worry that a private lab might try it without public approval. Jennifer Raff from the University of Kansas said, “That is one of the most unethical things I can possibly think of to attempt…”
Other scientists say that the technology isn’t ready. They also warn that it would be cruel to bring a Neanderthal into today’s world. A cloned Neanderthal would have no family or community. People might treat them like an experiment or put them in a zoo. Raff explains that this would be wrong, because “Neanderthals are human—they’re just a different kind of human.”
Sample sentences
I asked my teacher why some students got higher grades for the same project. I didn’t know my question would open a can of worms about unfair grading.
My friend decided to look into her family history with a DNA test. She opened a can of worms when she found secrets no one wanted to talk about.
The city tried to fix one small traffic problem. Instead, it opened a can of worms that made the whole system worse.
Origin
This expression started in the United States in the 1950s. It came from the image of fishermen opening a real can of worms for bait and watching them wriggle everywhere. Today, it means starting something messy or complicated that is hard to control.
Read More:
Neanderthals could be brought back within 20 years — but is it a good idea?