Margaret Atwood on Dystopia, CRISPR, and ‘Oryx and Crake’
Listen to a podcast extra: Margaret Atwood live with Ira at Housing Works in NYC.
Author Margaret Atwood joined Ira at a live event at Housing Works in New York City to discuss Oryx and Crake. Thirteen years after the publication of the book, she talks about if the story has been a prediction or a warning about our use and control of biotechnology today. Atwood says “there could have been a Crake then too, but CRISPR has made it much more possible.” She also reveals why Oryx remained a mysterious character and if she believes artificial intelligence is the next technological dystopia.
Photos by Daniel Peterschmidt.
Alexa Lim was a senior producer for Science Friday. Her favorite stories involve space, sound, and strange animal discoveries.
D Peterschmidt is a producer, host of the podcast Universe of Art, and composes music for Science Friday’s podcasts. Their D&D character is a clumsy bard named Chip Chap Chopman.